One of the most overused and fought-over natural resources in the world, the Colorado River provides drinking water for nearly forty million people in the United States and Mexico, generates hydroelectricity that powers cities, irrigates four million acres of farmland, supports twenty-two Native American tribes, and maintains a multibillion-dollar tourism and recreation economy. Seven national wildlife refuges, four national recreation areas, and eleven national parks depend on the river. The natural wealth nourished by the Colorado is incalculable—and is at dire risk of disappearing.
A system of dams, reservoirs, pipelines, pumps, and tunnels redirects water from the upper Colorado River watershed eastward to the farms and faucets of the Front Range. Diversions across the Continental Divide have enriched cities and agriculture on the eastern plains of the state of Colorado while impoverishing the ecosystem of the Colorado River headwaters.
UCRA is dedicated to reversing the decline of the upper Colorado River watershed so that future generations can benefit from a healthy river.
Click here to read the UCRA Articles of Incorporation.