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Colorado River Basin
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Water:Science and Issues
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Copyright informationCOPYRIGHT 2003 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Colorado River Basin
Located in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, the Colorado River is a 2,330-kilometer (1,450-mile) river with its
headwaters
in the Rocky Mountain National Park in north-central Colorado. The river is the primary source of water for a region that receives little annual rainfall.
More than 1,000 years ago, Native Americans irrigated their crops with the waters from the river. Today, the Colorado River is still used for
irrigation
, but it is also used to generate
hydroelectric
power and to supply water to distant urban areas.
The Basin
The Colorado River system, including the Colorado River, its
tributaries
, and the lands that ...