Upper Rio Grande Basin Focus Area Study

USGS is undertaking a 3-year study of water use, availability, and change in the Upper Rio Grande Basin in one of several national “Focus Area Studies” in the Department of Interior’s WaterSMART initiative. The Upper Rio Grande study area runs 670 miles from its headwaters in Colorado through New Mexico and northern Mexico to Ft. Quitman, Texas. Along its river corridor, it is a primary source of irrigation water for food, fiber and feed production and is used as a source for municipal supply by the cities of Albuquerque, Las Cruces, El Paso and Ciudad Juarez.

Read the Upper Rio Grande Workplan

The Upper Rio Grande Basin Focus Area Study (URGB FAS) will compile existing information and add new scientific data and interpretation to help stakeholders face current and future water issues. The study is organized around the important components affecting water availability in the Basin:

Click on map for larger image