Maps
Map of Colorado River Basin
The
Colorado River begins high on Colorado's Western Slope in Rocky
Mountain National Park. A major tributary, the Green River, begins in
Wyoming. From their junction south of Moab, Utah, the Colorado River
Basin encompasses Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, California and Mexico.
Map of Annual River Flows in Western Colorado 
Most
of the state of Colorado's water is located on the west side of the
Continental Divide in the Colorado River Basin, but the vast majority
of its population is on the drier, eastern side of the Rocky Mountains.
All together,
the rivers located in Western Colorado account for more
than 90 percent of the water that leaves the state.
Map of Colorado's Transmountain Diversions 
Twelve
diversion points take water from Colorado's Western Slope headwaters
regions to the thirsty and ever-growing Front Range and Eastern
Colorado areas. In the early days, most of the water was used for
agricultural purposes. Today, cities are buying the water in increasing
amounts for muncipal and industrial use.
Map of Western Colorado Reservoirs 
In
the state, the Colorado River Basin has hundreds of reservoirs from
small to large, including major reservoirs such as Lake Granby, Dillon
Reservoir and Blue Mesa, the state's largest reservoir. Reservoirs are
used for multiple purposes including flood control, water storage and
recreation. Front Range water suppliers control many of the reservoirs
in the Western Slope headwaters so they can divert water eastward.
Map of the Colorado River District 
The
Colorado River District serves Grand, Summit, Pitkin, Eagle, Routt,
Moffat, Rio Blanco, Garfield, Gunnsion, Mesa, Delta, Montrose, Ouray,
Hinsdale and Saguache counties.
The Colorado River District
works in 15 Western Colorado counties to protect water from Front Range
and downstream dominance. It was founded in 1937 in direct reaction to
the Colorado-Big Thompson Project that diverts Colorado River
headwaters to Northern Colorado, east of the Continental Divide.
