Colorado River - Anita

• The Colorado River is 1450 miles in length.
• The river flows through seven 7 states of the United States (including Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada and California) and 2 Mexican states.
• Most of the major dams along the Colorado River basin were built between 1910 and 1970. One of the most well-known is the Hoover Dam which was built in 1935.
• The river was nicknamed the River of Law because of all the legal disputes that have involved the flow of the river and its water over the years. It is now one of the most highly controlled rivers in the world.
• The Colorado River was known as the Red River due to the particles of silt carried in its waters. However, after the Glen Canyon Dam was built in 1963, the colored silt was trapped behind the dam and the river stopped looking red.
• The Colorado River has an average depth of about 20 feet. Although, it is nearly 100 feet deep in places.
• The water of the river used to reach 80 degrees F, but due to the dams it is now very cold all year around staying at about 42 degrees F. With the change in temperature many of the fish that once lived in the Colorado River can no longer thrive in the river’s waters.