High up in the Rocky Mountains is the starting point of the Colorado River. For six million years, up until 1960, it cascaded through the southwestern landscape for 1,500 miles before reaching the sea. But the construction of some forty dams siphoning water away from the river and a demand increase in the region, the Colorado no longer makes it to its final destination: the Colorado River Delta in Mexico. The delta is left dry and cracking in the heat of the sun, stripped of its lush habitats and wildlife. This is how it has remained for decades, until four days ago.
On March 23, the Morelos Dam was opened allowing a “pulse flow” of water to begin the historic 70-mile journey down the bone dry Colorado River Delta to the Sea of Cortez, reconnecting the river and the ocean for the first time in forty years.
In February 1944 the U.S. and Mexico signed a water treaty, allowing them to share the water in the Colorado and other major rivers of the southwest. While the treaty has received praise for its flexibility and expandability, there have also been criticisms, such as a lack of focus on the waters ecological uses and a lack of leadership leading to various infrastructure issues. One of the main issues most people have with the treaty though, is that it has promoted over-consumption, leading it to its current, depleted state.
In order to partially right some of these wrongs, both countries signed an addendum, or added additional terms, to the original 1944 treaty in November 2012. The addendum states they will both share the benefits and burdens of water surpluses and shortages and because Mexico lacks sufficient storage capacities, Mexico can store water in U.S. reservoirs. Additionally, it will encourage cooperation between the two countries on conservation projects. One of these first projects, focusing on the parched and perished state of the Colorado River Delta, was the release of the “pulse flow” from the Morelos Dam.
The “pulse flow” released approximately 1% of the annual historic flow of the river. The goal of the release is to restore the habitats of the Delta by mimicking the historic, initial, large springtime snowmelt from the Rocky Mountains. The flow is predicted to peak within the next few days (March 27-30). To continue imitating the historic flow of the river, an additional 52,000 acre-feet (compared to 105,392 acre-feet in the “pulse flow”) of water will be released in small flows that will sustain the new habitats. This springtime flood will help disperse and carry seeds that are native to the region downriver, as well as provide pivotal information about how exactly to restore key areas in the delta. While we don’t know what the exact outcomes of this flooding will be, it will inform future actions for the Colorado River Delta and other rivers in the future.
While this initial release from the Morelos Dam is a good start, the restoration of the Colorado River Delta requires more than just water – it requires your help. One of the most effective ways to show your support is by donating to Raise the River.
Raise the River is a campaign created by six conservation organizations, The Nature Conservancy, Environmental Defense Fund, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Pro Natura, Redford Center, and Sonoran Institute. Their goal is to raise $10 million by 2017 in order to conduct crucial restoration work and purchase water rights from those willing to sell in Mexico’s Mexicali Valley where crop irrigation consumes the remaining water that makes it to the Morelos Dam. By keeping a light flow coming down the delta, they can bring life back to the delta, but in order to do that they need your help. Those at Raise the River believe that the delta is the most degraded stretch of the Colorado River, and therefore, if they can revive it, then “nothing is beyond hope”. By making a donation, you can turn back the clocks to a yesterday that will make a better tomorrow for the Colorado River Delta. Help raise the river by clicking here.