The Rio Grande RiverLaura Engells GEO 5308 4/8/16

Outline • Introduction to Rio Grande• Case Studies: Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas• Applications to Big Bend Country• Big Bend Excursion and the Rio Grande• Future Outlook

Introduction: History• History: Mexican American War and Treaty of Guadalupe

Hidalgo• Mexican American War: April 1845- February 1848• Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo: February 1848

Mapping History

Source: http://users.humboldt.edu/ogayle/hist383/Mex_Americans.html Source: www.emersonkent.com

Introduction: Naming and Meaning• Stories of the Rio Grande precedes the coming of the

Europeans • Changing meaning to the people reflected in name • 2 names are of importance: Rio Bravo del Norte and Rio

Grande del Norte

Introduction: Course of The River • Measures 1,896 miles from

source to mouth • Fifth longest river in North

America• 3 Main Divisions: Source,

Midstream, and Border

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio_Grande

Introduction: Tributaries • Fed by rivers from the

United States and Mexico • United States: Pecos, Devil,

Chama, and Puerco Rivers• Mexico: Conchos, Salado,

and San Juan • Border Region: Conchos

and Pecos RiversSource: http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/about_freshwater

Rio Grande Case Studies: Colorado • Basin encompasses over

7,543 square miles • Role of Water and Water

Regulation: United States- Mexican Water Treaty of 1906, Rio Grande Compact of 1938, and Amended Costilla Creek Compact of 1963• Development of the Basin

Implementation PlanSource: http://www.riogrande-riobravo.org/Map/riograndecolorado.gif

Rio Grande Basin: Colorado

Source: http://www.riogrande-riobravo.org/Map/riograndecolorado.gif

Source: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jurgen_Schmandt//Figure-2-Colorado-and-Rio-Grande-basins.png

Rio Grande Case Studies: New Mexico

• Middle Rio Grande Basin encompasses 3,060 square miles• Power of Water: Rio Grande

Gorge • Water Allocation: US-

Mexico Treaty of 1906 and Elephant Butte Dam

Source: http://www.nm.water.usgs.gov

Rio Grande Case Studies: New Mexico

Source: http://www.paradoxtravels.blogspot.com Source:http://www.usbr.gov/projects/Facility.jsp?fac_Name=Elephant+Butte+Damflickr.com

Middle Rio Grande Basin: New Mexico

Source: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jurgen_Schmandt//Figure-2-Colorado-and-Rio-Grande-basins.png

Source: http://www.nm.water.usgs.gov

Rio Grande Case Studies: Texas• Binational Characteristics • Water Allocation and

Treaties• Environmental Flow• Human-Environment

Interaction

Source: http://www.ibwc.state.gov

Rio Grande and the Border • Border country is tied to

history and historical events • Meaning as a dividing line

between the United States and Mexico • Water allocation and flows:

Sister Cities and Population Growth

Source: http://www.gob.mx

Water Allocation• 3 Treaties of Importance • The Convention of May 21,

1906 • The Convention of

February 1, 1933 • The Treaty of February 3,

1944

Source: http://blogspot.com/sharing-rio-grande-water-mexican.html

Water Allocation: Texas and Mexico• 2 Dams of Importance • Falcon Dam: Located 50

miles downstream of Laredo, completed in 1954, holds 3 million acre feet of water • Amistad Dam: Located 12

miles northwest of Del Rio, completed in 1968, holds 8 million acre feet of water

Source: http://www.learner.org

Water Allocation: Dams

Source: http://www.airphotona.com Source: http://www.epbusinessjournal.com/2013/01/amistad-dam-jan-19

Human-Environment Interaction• Effects of channelization • Effects of regulated flows • Future plans for further re-

channelization projects

Source: http://www.bio-west.com/services/water_projects/rio_grande

Big Bend Country and the Rio Grande

• Curvature of the River • Canyon Formation• Environmental Flows and

Aquatic Flows

Source: http://www.skyscrapercity.com

Curvature of the River • Course makes a dip to the

south in a sweeping curve • Gives Big Bend National

Park its name

Source: https://www.npca.org

Canyon Formation• 3 Canyons of importance:

Santa Elena Canyon, Mariscal Canyon, and Sierra del Carmen Canyon

Environmental Flows and Aquatic Flows

• Defining environmental flow • Issues with the regulation

of environmental flow • Impacts on aquatic life

Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/stuartwildlife/3372818461?ytcheck=1

Big Bend Excursion: Rio Grande

Future Issues Facing the Rio Grande • Water Allocation• Sustainable Management• Population Expansion• Re-channelization Projects

"The top three conservation issues in Texas are water, water and water." Robert Cook

Questions?

Sources • Content• Gilpin, L. 1949. The Rio Grande: River of Destiny. New York, NY: Duell, Sloan, and Pearce.• International Water and Boundary Commission. 2016. Treaties between U.S. and Mexico.

http://ibwc.state.gov/Treaties_Minutes/treaties.html (last accessed 25 February 2016).• Miller, C. 2001. Fluid Arguments: Five Centuries of Western Water Conflict. Tuscon, AZ: The

University of Arizona Press. • Palmer, T. 1996. America by Rivers. Washington, D.C.: Island Press.• Reid, J. 2004. Rio Grande. Austin, TX: The University of Texas Press. • Sansom, A. 2008. Waters in Texas: An Introduction. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press.• Schumm, S. 1973. River Morphology. Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania: Dowden, Hutchinson, &

Ross, Inc.• Texas State Historical Commission. 2016. International Falcon Dam.

https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/roi02 (last accessed 25 February 2016).• ____. 2016. Amistad Reservoir. https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/roa10 (last

accessed 25 February 2016).

Sources• Images • AirPhoto. 2016. Falcon Lake Dam. http://www.airphotona.com/image.asp?imageid=16062 (last

accessed 7 April 2016). • Annenberg Learner. 2016. Dams and Diversions along the Rio Grande. https://

www.learner.org/courses/envsci/visual/visual.php?shortname=rio_grande (last accessed 7 April 2016).

• Bio-West. 2015. Rio Grande Water Projects. http://www.bio-west.com/services/watershed_sciences/water_projects/rio_grande (last accessed 7 April 2016).

• Eagle Pass Business Journal. 2016. Lake Amistad Dam. http://www.epbusinessjournal.com/2013/01/amistad-dam-inspection-facility-closed-through-jan-19/ (last accessed 7 April 2016).

• El Paso Naturally. 2016. Sharing Rio Grande Water: Mexican Perspective. http://elpasonaturally.blogspot.com/2012_05_01_archive.html (last accessed 7 April 2016).

• Flickr. 2016. Big Bend Slider. https://www.flickr.com/photos/stuartwildlife/3372818461?ytcheck=1 (last accessed 7 April 2016).

• GOB. 2016. Rio Bravo. http://www.gob.mx/sre/acciones-y-programas/atribuciones-de-la-cila-en-la-cuenca-del-rio-bravo (last accessed 7 April 2016).

Sources• Images

• Humboldt. 2016. Mexican Occupation and American Conquest. http://users.humboldt.edu/ogayle/hist383/Mex_Americans.html (last accessed 7 April 2016).

• International Boundary and Water Commission. 2016. Rio Grande Basin Overview. http://www.ibwc.state.gov/CRP/sa_home.htm (last accessed 7 April 2016).

• Emerson Kent. 2016. Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. www.emersonkent.com (last accessed 7 April 2016).

• National Parks Conservation Association. 2016. Big Secret, Big Bend National Park. https://www.npca.org/trips/53-big-secret-big-bend-national-park (last accessed 7 April 2016).

• New Mexico USGS. 2016. Middle Rio Grande Basin Study. http://nm.water.usgs.gov/projects/middleriogrande/ (last accessed 7 April 2016).

• Rio Grande-Rio Bravo. 2016. Rio Grande Basin Colorado. : http://www.riogrande-riobravo.org/Map/riograndecolorado.gif (last accessed 7 April 2016)..

• Jurgen Schmandt. 2016. Rio Grande River Basin. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jurgen_Schmandt//Figure-2-Colorado-and-Rio-Grande-basins.png (last accessed 7 April 2016).

• Skyscraper City. 2016. Big Bend Region. http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=613848&page=9 (last accessed 7 April 2016).

Sources • Texas Welcomes Friends. 2016. Falcon Dam.

http://texaswelcomesfriends.com/texas-Info/texas-Info_Texas-Water/texas-Info_Texas-Dams/texas-Info_Texas-Dams_2.html (last accessed 7 April 2016).

• _____ . 2016. Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River. http://texaswelcomesfriends.com/texas-Info/texas-Info_Texas-Water/texas-Info_Texas-Rivers/texas-Info_Texas-Rivers/imgs2/ (last accessed 7 April 2016).

• Wikipedia. 2016. Map of the Rio Grande Drainage Basin. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio_Grande (last accessed 7 April 2016).

• World Wildlife Fund. 2016. Map of the Rio Grande. http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/about_freshwater/freshwater_problems/river_decline/10_rivers_risk/rio_grande_bravo/ (last accessed 7 April 2016).