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Dolores River
The Dolores River is a tributary of the Colorado River, approximately 241 miles (388 km) long, in the U.S. states of Colorado and Utah. The river drains a rugged and arid region of the Colorado Plateau west of the San Juan Mountains. Its name derives from the Spanish El Rio de Nuestra Señora de Dolores, River of Our Lady of Sorrows. The river was explored and possibly named by Juan Maria Antonio Rivera during a 1765 expedition from Santa Fe.
The mean annual flow of the Dolores prior to damming was approximately 1,200 cu ft/s (34 m3/s), but due to diversions it has been reduced to about 600 cu ft/s (17 m3/s).
The Dolores River rises in a meadow called Tin Can Basin, near 12,520-foot (3,820 m) Hermosa Peak in the San Miguel Mountains, in Dolores County, Colorado. The headwaters are located about 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Lizard Head Pass in the San Juan National Forest. The river flows southwest in a canyon past Rico, receiving the West Dolores River, then flows into McPhee Reservoir near Dolores in Montezuma County. Formed by McPhee Dam, the reservoir is about 10 miles (16 km) long and diverts flows of the upper Dolores River for irrigation.
Downstream from McPhee Dam, the river re-enters Dolores County and carves the Dolores River Canyon, which stretches north for over 40 miles (64 km) and averages 1,100 feet (340 m) deep. This section of the Dolores River is noted for its exposed sedimentary strata, desert wildlife, and during years of heavy snowmelt for its whitewater. Near Egnar the river crosses into San Miguel County and then from there into Montrose County.
Continuing north, the Dolores cuts across the Paradox Valley which runs in an unusual transverse direction to the river. Immediately below Paradox Valley it is joined by the San Miguel River, its main tributary, from the east. (Incidentally, the Dolores and San Miguel have their headwaters to either side of Lizard Head Pass.) Due to diversions on the main stem, the San Miguel is typically the same size as the Dolores if not larger, providing most of the flow below the confluence in dry years.
Below the confluence with the San Miguel, the Dolores enters Mesa County, flowing north-northwest past Gateway and then turning west into Utah. The last segment of the river, entirely within Grand County, joins the Colorado near the historic Dewey Bridge, about 30 miles (48 km) above Moab.
The Hanging Flume is located on the canyon wall near Uravan, Colorado.
Measured at Cisco, Utah, not far above the confluence with the Colorado River, the average unimpaired discharge of the Dolores River between 1906 and 1995 was 841,000 acre-feet (1.037 km3), or about 1,160 cubic feet per second (33 m3/s). The United States Geological Survey has operated a stream gage at Cisco from 1950 to the present. For the 36-year period December 1950 to September 1986, the river flow at Cisco averaged 845 cubic feet per second (23.9 m3/s). By contrast, in the 27 years from October 1986 (the year McPhee Dam was completed) to October 2013, the river averaged only 599 cubic feet per second (17.0 m3/s) due to the McPhee Dam diversions.
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Dolores River
The Dolores River is a tributary of the Colorado River, approximately 241 miles (388 km) long, in the U.S. states of Colorado and Utah. The river drains a rugged and arid region of the Colorado Plateau west of the San Juan Mountains. Its name derives from the Spanish El Rio de Nuestra Señora de Dolores, River of Our Lady of Sorrows. The river was explored and possibly named by Juan Maria Antonio Rivera during a 1765 expedition from Santa Fe.
The mean annual flow of the Dolores prior to damming was approximately 1,200 cu ft/s (34 m3/s), but due to diversions it has been reduced to about 600 cu ft/s (17 m3/s).
The Dolores River rises in a meadow called Tin Can Basin, near 12,520-foot (3,820 m) Hermosa Peak in the San Miguel Mountains, in Dolores County, Colorado. The headwaters are located about 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Lizard Head Pass in the San Juan National Forest. The river flows southwest in a canyon past Rico, receiving the West Dolores River, then flows into McPhee Reservoir near Dolores in Montezuma County. Formed by McPhee Dam, the reservoir is about 10 miles (16 km) long and diverts flows of the upper Dolores River for irrigation.
Downstream from McPhee Dam, the river re-enters Dolores County and carves the Dolores River Canyon, which stretches north for over 40 miles (64 km) and averages 1,100 feet (340 m) deep. This section of the Dolores River is noted for its exposed sedimentary strata, desert wildlife, and during years of heavy snowmelt for its whitewater. Near Egnar the river crosses into San Miguel County and then from there into Montrose County.
Continuing north, the Dolores cuts across the Paradox Valley which runs in an unusual transverse direction to the river. Immediately below Paradox Valley it is joined by the San Miguel River, its main tributary, from the east. (Incidentally, the Dolores and San Miguel have their headwaters to either side of Lizard Head Pass.) Due to diversions on the main stem, the San Miguel is typically the same size as the Dolores if not larger, providing most of the flow below the confluence in dry years.
Below the confluence with the San Miguel, the Dolores enters Mesa County, flowing north-northwest past Gateway and then turning west into Utah. The last segment of the river, entirely within Grand County, joins the Colorado near the historic Dewey Bridge, about 30 miles (48 km) above Moab.
The Hanging Flume is located on the canyon wall near Uravan, Colorado.
Measured at Cisco, Utah, not far above the confluence with the Colorado River, the average unimpaired discharge of the Dolores River between 1906 and 1995 was 841,000 acre-feet (1.037 km3), or about 1,160 cubic feet per second (33 m3/s). The United States Geological Survey has operated a stream gage at Cisco from 1950 to the present. For the 36-year period December 1950 to September 1986, the river flow at Cisco averaged 845 cubic feet per second (23.9 m3/s). By contrast, in the 27 years from October 1986 (the year McPhee Dam was completed) to October 2013, the river averaged only 599 cubic feet per second (17.0 m3/s) due to the McPhee Dam diversions.