Rio Grande River

Matthew Ward





History of the River
5
th
Longest river in the U.S. and 20
th
in the world at 1800 mi
Two areas are designated as National Wild and Scenic River
Systems, one being Big Bend National Park in Texas
About 1200 mi of the river serves as the physical border
between the United States and Mexico
Starts in San Juan County, CO and flows out into the Gulf of
Mexico
The river has 5 chief tributaries: 2 in US Pecos and Devil
Rivers, 3 in Mexico Rio Conchos, Rio Salado, and Rio San
Juan
Chemistry & Hydrology
The Rio Grande Basin measures 336,000 mi
2
Only half the basin contributes water to the system, as the
other half is arid or semi arid lands
Due to the dried out soil water evaporates out quickly
Flows higher in warm months with 90% of rain during July-
October
Exponential rise in flows with hurricanes
Chemistry & Hydrology
Chemistry & Hydrology
Effective Discharge- The discharge that on average trasports the
largest proportion of the annual sediment load
Productivity & Nutrients
Water Usage in the basin
Main factors
Municipal 26%
Irrigation 71%


Productivity & Nutrients
Rapid immigration to the border
has left many cities unprepared
with inadequate wastewater
treatment facilities.
The Army Corp stated that 30
towns on both sides of the river
are in need of improvements
to their infrastructure.
Productivity & Nutrients
The wastewater discharged into the river contains many pollutants
due to inadequate filtration and disinfection
These include Fecal Coliform, Pesticides, Heavy metals,
Sediment, Nutrients, and Salts
Biota in the Rio Grande
Most of the Rio Grande Basin is part of the Chihuahuan Desert
This areas is alive with over 1,000 different plant species, most
have spines or prickers to protect against animals
Close to the river banks is a riperian ecosystem, with coniferous
forests in the higher elevation areas, and grasslands in between
Despite pollution there are high numbers of macro invertebrates
found within the river
Changes & Impacts
Damming of the river has increased dry and arid areas, fragmenting
habitat
Drought in the Midwest has caused these arid areas to expand
Sewage has contributed many pathogens, such as E-coli into the
downstream waters due to lack of treatment plants in Mexico
This usually would be regulated by the EPA however the river straddles
two countries, and the raw sewage is coming from Mexico. This leaves it
up to the International Boundary and Water Commission.
Invasive species have colonized and now dominate the landscape, such
as Salt Cedar (Tamarix)
85% of all the threatened and endangered species in Texas are from this
river basin
Changes & Impacts
Ecosystem Management
Salt Cedar management has been initiated to restore native
plant life Cottonwood, Willowpole
The invasives are cut down and their stumps are coated with herbicide to
prevent regrowth. Natives are planted in their place. Some wrapped with
chicken wire to prevent damage from beavers.
Rio Grande Compact Signed in 1938
Streamflow and runoff measurements in the headwaters dictated that in
order to appropriate water between them, Colorado must help supply
water to New Mexico and Texas. In the early years CO did not live up to
this agreement and built up a water debt to the other states.
North American Free Trade Agreement 1994
This agreement helped helped the two countries to clean up the river that
makes up 1,200 miles of their shared border. IBWC is in charge of the
restoration processes.
Conclusion
With water becoming scarce a new Compact could be drafted in
order to better appropriate resources
Invasive species must be removed or controlled in order to return
the ecosystem to its natural state
Infrastructure needs updating and facilities may need to be built,
replaced, or renovated in order to clean out the pollutants from the
river
Research can be done in order to find more efficient ways to
irrigate crops, in order to lessen the demand for water and the
runoff associated with irrigation
If action is not taken soon the river may lose its biological and
scenic values, and possibly become dry in areas
Every Drop Counts!!
Sources
Alo, D., & Turner, T. (2005). Effects of habitat fragmentation on effective population size in
the endangered Rio Grande silvery minnow. Conservation Biology, 19(4), 1138-1148.
Booker, J., & Ward, F. (1999). Instream flows and endangered species in an international
river basin: The Upper Rio Grande. American Journal of Agricultural
Economics, 81(5), 1262-1267.
Cleverly, J., Dahm, C., Thibault, J., Gilroy, D., & Coonrod, J. (2001). Seasonal estimates
of actual evapotranspiration from Tamarix ramosissima stands. Journal of Arid
Environments, 1-23.
Cowley, D., Wissmar, R., & Sallenave, R. (2007). Fish assemblages and seasonal
movements of fish in irrigation canals and river reaches of the Middle Rio Grande,
New Mexico (USA). Ecology of Freshwater Fish, 16, 548-558.
Cowley, D. (2006). Strategies for ecological restoration of the Middle Rio Grande in New
Mexico and recovery of the endangered Rio Grande silvery minnow. Reviews in
Fisheries Science, 14, 169-186.
Hargrove, W., Borrok, D., Heyman, J., Tweedie, C., & Ferregut, C. (2013). Water, climate,
and social change in a fragile landscape. Ecosphere, 4(22), 1-13.
Heard, T., Perkin, J., & Bonner, T. (2012). Intra-annual variation in fish communities and
habitat associations in a Chihuahuan desert reach of the Rio Grande/ Rio Brave Del
Norte.Western North American Naturalist, 72(1), 1-15. Retrieved from
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Sources Continued
Hoagstrom, C., Remshardt, J., Smith, J., & Brooks, J. (2010). Changing fish faunas in two
reaches of the Rio Grande in the Albuquerque basin. The Southwestern
Naturalist,55(1), 78-88. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1894/GG-38.1
Pease, A., Davis, J., Edwards, M., & Turner, T. (2006). Habitat and resource use by larval
and juvenile fishes in an arid-land river (Rio Grande, New Mexico). Freshwater
Biology, 51, 475-489. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2427.2005.01506.x
Phillips, F., Hogan, J., Mills, S., & Hendrickx, J. (2001). Environmental tracers applied to
quantifying causes of salinity in arid-region rivers: Preliminary results from the Rio
Grande, Southwestern USA. Environmental Geosciences, 43, 1-15.
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opportunities for water of the Rio Grande. Journal of Agricultural and Applied
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of water quality in the Gravatai river, Rio Grande de Sul. Hydrobiologia, 559, 233-246.
Retrieved from DOI 10.1007/s10750-005-9012-3
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Rio Grande Basin. General Technical Report,
Weber, M., & Stewart, S. (2009). Public values for river restoration options on the Middle
Rio Grande. Restoration Ecology, 17(6), 762-771. (Weber & Stewart, 2009)