Colorado River Facts – Protecting Arizona's Lifeline

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Colorado River Facts
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Colorado River Facts
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Colorado River Facts

Colorado River Compact

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Living Within the Means of the River

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Upper Basin Reservoirs

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The Colorado River is the largest renewable water resource in the southwestern United States. Its supply is shared by seven Western states and Mexico. It provides water for 43 million people, including 30 tribal communities, gives life to urban centers, agricultural heartlands and ecological habitats. The river supports nearly $4 trillion in economic output and is key to the nation’s economy.

The Colorado River Basin is divided into two regions: the Upper Basin (Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and New Mexico) and the Lower Basin (California, Arizona, and Nevada).

Within the Colorado River Basin, approximately 75% of the population, employment, agricultural crop sales, and 25 of the 30 tribal nations are located in Arizona, California and Nevada.