BajaNomad

Colorado River Water

bajalou - 2-6-2005 at 08:03 PM

I was just reading a San Diego newspaper online and it stated that Tijuana and Tecate are dependent on Colorado River water. Could Jesse or some other Nomads in that area confirm or deny this statement? And if it's true, how does the water get there?

Just curious.

:biggrin:

Bajalou

Baja Bernie - 2-7-2005 at 11:07 AM

It is true--I don't know where it connects in Mexicali Valley but I know they crossed my father-in-laws ranch, about 15 miles east of Tecate, with a six foot concrete pipe to carry the water to Tecate and TJ. This was done years ago.

David K - 2-7-2005 at 11:15 AM

Lou... it is the big pipe running along the north side of Hwy. 2, up the mountain... a pumping station is partway up.

A gasoline pipeline was installed a year or two ago along the south side of Hwy. 2.

Braulio - 2-7-2005 at 11:34 AM

The US and Mexico have a treaty going back to 1944 that allots each country so much water from the Rio Grande, Colorado, and Tijuana Rivers.

It was updated in the 70's to set standards for water quality (at which time the US was sending Mexico dirty/salty water down the Colorado) because the farmers in the Imperial Valley were complaining that it was unsuitable for farming.

yeah - the water from the Colorado is stored behind dams up above TJ.

I remember

Frigatebird - 2-7-2005 at 01:40 PM

reading somewhere that Mexico's allotment from treaty is 10% of the Colorado's annual flow. That calculation must somehow account for drought/wet years and storage behind the dams.

bbbait - 2-9-2005 at 09:08 PM

Mexico's treaty allows them 1.5 million acre feet per year. On the average that figures out to about 2000 cubic feet per second per day. Of course their demand is higher, especially during peak irrigation seasons of spring and summer. With our drought situation, the U.S. tries not to send an extra drop more than their allocation. To many factors involved to try to explain everything here. But co-ordination of several agencies make sure the treaty obligations are satisfied. At Algodones, Morelos Dam diverts the Colorado River into their canal system that irrigates the Mexicali Valley. In the case of an error in scheduling, or unpredicted weather that causes unexpected runoff,
in goes into the old river channel that flows, eventually into the Gulf, Sea of Cortez. And it takes a lot extra to make it on down to the Gulf. It's kind of like a dry river bed and when there IS an unexpected release of water out of Morelos, it's into the dry riverbed of 30 miles and never can develop a momentum to make it to the Gulf. On extreme wet years when the resevoirs fill up (Mead-Powell), and the storage runs out they go ahead and run exra water through the system. Hence, flooding of Rio Hardy and the filling of Laguna Salada. I could go on, but I think I will be boring everyone. Wayno

bajalou - 2-9-2005 at 09:25 PM

Thanks for all the info Nomads. I was somewhat familiar with the Colo river division etc, but never had heard of part going to TJ and Tecate. Thanks

:biggrin:

Fasinating stuff

Barry A. - 2-9-2005 at 09:40 PM

Wayno-----you are not boring me with this. Thank you for a really interesting sysnopsis of the Colorado River water commitments to Mexico. I always wondered about that. Anything more that you can contribute would be great.
Barry

David K - 2-9-2005 at 10:17 PM

Wayno, do you have any details on the crazy attempt Mexico made to turn the Laguna Salada into another Salton Sea recreational lake? They dredged a huge canal across the salt flats from the bottom of the Rio Colorado/Rio Hardy delta to the below sea level northen Laguna Salada... This was about 1978-1980 I think... The water filled the Laguna then breached the levee and flooded the southern Laguna Salada all the way to the sand dunes. Took years to dry up... They had to rebuild Hwy. 5 across that flooded area as the original road was sinking and quite bumpy to drive across.

Oso - 2-10-2005 at 06:15 PM

Crossed the Sonora/B.C. tollbridge on Mex 2 recently on the way to Mexicali to see El Juli make some hamburger. There was actually a little water in the riverbed, not enough to keep the coyotes from driving across, but first I've seen in 4 yrs. Anywhere below Morelos Dam is usually an easy crossing on foot (no swimming necessary) or 4x4 and of course the migra knows that and are usually waiting.

Big dilemma for the environmentalists: If the Yuma desalination plant ever actually cranks up and the Mohawk canal stops diverting salty water to the artificially created Cienega de Sta. Clara marshlands, they will dry up and the birds will have to go elsewhere. So, do you "save" wetlands that didn't used to be there or use an artificial processing plant that didn't used to be there to put river flow back a little toward what did used to be there?