Colorado River Basin Science
The Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center, a branch of the Southwest Biological Science Center, conducts scientific assessments of the Colorado River in Grand Canyon, focused primarily on Lake Powell and the river ecosystem downstream of Glen Canyon Dam.
On this page, we'd like to share related interactive tools and projects by other USGS Centers that cover science across the upper and lower Colorado River Basin.
Click on the image blocks below and the Science, Tools, and News tabs to learn more about USGS science across the Colorado River Basin.
Colorado River Basin Drought and the 2023 Water Year
USGS Science Collaboration Portal for the Colorado River Basin
Colorado River Basin GIS Open Data Portal - courtesy of the Babbitt Center
A map showing the locations of the Upper and Lower Colorado river basins in the contiguous U.S. and 1,865 National Water Information System (NWIS) sites used to calculate total flow.
Below are links to Colorado River Basin science conducted by a number of different USGS centers. This list is not all-inclusive.
To access all of USGS' Colorado River information, including science pages, news, photographs, publications and more, go to https://www.usgs.gov/, search for "Colorado River" in the search bar, and navigate using the drop-down menu.
Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Projects
GCMRC Modeling Research used in Decision-making Process for New Glen Canyon Dam Environmental Impact Statements
Regional Water Availability Assessment: Upper Colorado River Basin
Sediment Transport in the Colorado River and All-American Canal system at Imperial Dam
Geologic Mapping of the Lower Colorado River System
Upper Colorado River Basin aquifer system
The Colorado River Basin Pilot Project
Incipient Bed-Movement and Flood-Frequency Analysis Using Hydrophones to Estimate Flushing Flows on the Upper Colorado River, Colorado, 2019
Upper Colorado River Streamflow and Reservoir Contents
Salinity
Baseflow
Science in the Colorado River Basin
WaterSMART: Colorado River Basin
Below are links to USGS Colorado River Basin interactive webpages and tools. This list is not all-inclusive.
To access all of USGS' Colorado River information, including science pages, news, photographs, publications and more, go to https://www.usgs.gov/, search for "Colorado River" in the search bar, and navigate using the drop-down menu.
Colorado River Basin drought and the 2023 water year
How wet was 2023 when compared to historical averages? This geonarrative compares precipitation and streamflow amounts observed during the 2023 water year with historical conditions in the Colorado River Basin over the last 30 years. While the 2023 water year was a wet year with above-average precipitation at many locations, it was not uniformly good or record-setting.
USGS Science Collaboration Portal for the Colorado River Basin
To help resource managers plan and mitigate long-term drought impacts in the Colorado River Basin, the USGS has launched a platform that brings together science, data, and mapping and analytical tools from across the basin in a central location.
Colorado River Basin Projects
The Colorado River Basin Actionable and Strategic Integrated Science and Technology Team has created an interactive map of USGS projects to highlight the integrated science currently conducted within the Colorado River Basin. These projects are not all inclusive of the work conducted by the USGS within the CRB, but highlight the broad range of integrated science currently conducted.
Colorado River Basin Science & Technology
A geonarrative introducing an integrated approach to improve efficiency and delivery of actionable USGS drought science using advanced information technology.
Predicted Shorelines for High Flows on the Colorado River Application
This application highlights modeled flows of the Colorado River for a discharge of 41,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) that is approximate to recent (2012 - 2018) and future anticipated water releases associated with a High Flow Experiments conducted from Glen Canyon Dam near Page, Arizona. These data are to help visualize the water levels during High Flow Events in relation to othe
Drought in the Colorado River Basin - Insights Using Open Data
Since 2000, the Colorado River Basin has been experiencing a historic, extended drought that has impacted regional water supply and other resources, such as hydropower, recreation, and ecologic services. This visualization is part of a multi-agency effort to showcase the usefulness of open data by exploring the current 16-year drought and its effects on the Colorado River Basin.
Lower Colorado River Hydrologic Monitoring
The Lower Colorado Monitoring Network is a series of groundwater-level and water-quality wells, as well as streamgages and micro-gravity sites. This interactive map displays the sites and provides links to the most current data.
To access all of USGS' Colorado River information, including science pages, news, photographs, publications and more, go to https://www.usgs.gov/, search for "Colorado River" in the search bar, and navigate using the drop-down menu.
The Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center, a branch of the Southwest Biological Science Center, conducts scientific assessments of the Colorado River in Grand Canyon, focused primarily on Lake Powell and the river ecosystem downstream of Glen Canyon Dam.
On this page, we'd like to share related interactive tools and projects by other USGS Centers that cover science across the upper and lower Colorado River Basin.
Click on the image blocks below and the Science, Tools, and News tabs to learn more about USGS science across the Colorado River Basin.
Colorado River Basin Drought and the 2023 Water Year
USGS Science Collaboration Portal for the Colorado River Basin
Colorado River Basin GIS Open Data Portal - courtesy of the Babbitt Center
A map showing the locations of the Upper and Lower Colorado river basins in the contiguous U.S. and 1,865 National Water Information System (NWIS) sites used to calculate total flow.
Below are links to Colorado River Basin science conducted by a number of different USGS centers. This list is not all-inclusive.
To access all of USGS' Colorado River information, including science pages, news, photographs, publications and more, go to https://www.usgs.gov/, search for "Colorado River" in the search bar, and navigate using the drop-down menu.
Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Projects
GCMRC Modeling Research used in Decision-making Process for New Glen Canyon Dam Environmental Impact Statements
Regional Water Availability Assessment: Upper Colorado River Basin
Sediment Transport in the Colorado River and All-American Canal system at Imperial Dam
Geologic Mapping of the Lower Colorado River System
Upper Colorado River Basin aquifer system
The Colorado River Basin Pilot Project
Incipient Bed-Movement and Flood-Frequency Analysis Using Hydrophones to Estimate Flushing Flows on the Upper Colorado River, Colorado, 2019
Upper Colorado River Streamflow and Reservoir Contents
Salinity
Baseflow
Science in the Colorado River Basin
WaterSMART: Colorado River Basin
Below are links to USGS Colorado River Basin interactive webpages and tools. This list is not all-inclusive.
To access all of USGS' Colorado River information, including science pages, news, photographs, publications and more, go to https://www.usgs.gov/, search for "Colorado River" in the search bar, and navigate using the drop-down menu.
Colorado River Basin drought and the 2023 water year
How wet was 2023 when compared to historical averages? This geonarrative compares precipitation and streamflow amounts observed during the 2023 water year with historical conditions in the Colorado River Basin over the last 30 years. While the 2023 water year was a wet year with above-average precipitation at many locations, it was not uniformly good or record-setting.
USGS Science Collaboration Portal for the Colorado River Basin
To help resource managers plan and mitigate long-term drought impacts in the Colorado River Basin, the USGS has launched a platform that brings together science, data, and mapping and analytical tools from across the basin in a central location.
Colorado River Basin Projects
The Colorado River Basin Actionable and Strategic Integrated Science and Technology Team has created an interactive map of USGS projects to highlight the integrated science currently conducted within the Colorado River Basin. These projects are not all inclusive of the work conducted by the USGS within the CRB, but highlight the broad range of integrated science currently conducted.
Colorado River Basin Science & Technology
A geonarrative introducing an integrated approach to improve efficiency and delivery of actionable USGS drought science using advanced information technology.
Predicted Shorelines for High Flows on the Colorado River Application
This application highlights modeled flows of the Colorado River for a discharge of 41,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) that is approximate to recent (2012 - 2018) and future anticipated water releases associated with a High Flow Experiments conducted from Glen Canyon Dam near Page, Arizona. These data are to help visualize the water levels during High Flow Events in relation to othe
Drought in the Colorado River Basin - Insights Using Open Data
Since 2000, the Colorado River Basin has been experiencing a historic, extended drought that has impacted regional water supply and other resources, such as hydropower, recreation, and ecologic services. This visualization is part of a multi-agency effort to showcase the usefulness of open data by exploring the current 16-year drought and its effects on the Colorado River Basin.
Lower Colorado River Hydrologic Monitoring
The Lower Colorado Monitoring Network is a series of groundwater-level and water-quality wells, as well as streamgages and micro-gravity sites. This interactive map displays the sites and provides links to the most current data.
To access all of USGS' Colorado River information, including science pages, news, photographs, publications and more, go to https://www.usgs.gov/, search for "Colorado River" in the search bar, and navigate using the drop-down menu.