U.S. Geological Survey streamgage network in the Upper Colorado River Basin—Recording the hydrologic history of the Western United States

Abstract

Introduction Water supply in the Western United States is an essential resource, and the collection of accurate and timely water information is fundamental to effectively managing water resources in the region. Efforts to document the hydrology in the Colorado River Basin are vital to life in the Western United States. These efforts began as far back as the initial John Wesley Powell exploration of the Colorado River and its tributaries in the summer of 1869. Shortly after, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) was created in 1879, and the first USGS systematic measurement of streamflow began at the first streamgage, 08279500 Rio Grande at Embudo, New Mexico, in 1889. During its 146-year existence, the USGS has served the citizens of the United States in many roles, notably through long-standing stewardship in water science. For example, the USGS has collected hydrologic information at strategic locations within the Western United States to support water resource management, flood forecasting and response, interbasin water transfers, hydropower generation, municipal and agricultural water supplies, food security, recreation, habitat preservation, international treaty obligations and river compact compliance, and the operation of major water-storage projects, including Lake Powell and Lake Mead bordering Utah and Arizona, and Nevada and Arizona, respectively.