Colorado Delta Already Reviving Just Five Days After Experimental Release From Morelos Dam
LOS ALGODONES, Mexico — Osvel Hinojosa knew that an infusion of water would bring the Colorado River delta back to life. But in just a few days, a U.S.-Mexican experiment to revive the delta environment has exceeded his expectations.
The water is running deeper, faster and wider than anticipated in a channel that was once bone-dry. Hinojosa has spotted hawks, egrets and ospreys flying above the newly flowing water. He's even seen beavers. "It's just amazing to see that we can recover the river and see it alive again," said Hinojosa, water and wetlands program director at Pronatura Noroeste, a Mexican water conservation group.
On Thursday, Hinojosa joined more than 100 Mexican and American officials for a ceremony at the Morelos Dam, which sits on the international boundary, to mark the fifth day and climax of the experiment.
The release, or "pulse," of water started slowly Sunday when officials lifted the gates at the Morelos Dam, west of Yuma, Ariz., releasing about 700 cubic-feet of water per second. It reached its peak Thursday when water rushed through the dam at about 4,200 cubic-feet per second. Over eight weeks, about 105,000 acre-feet will be released. (An acre-foot is the amount of water required to cover an acre a foot deep, or about 326,000 gallons — enough to supply two average homes for one year.)
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http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-ff-delta-pulse-20140328,0,2209717.story#axzz2xEKwpW00
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