The death of a river

Senator Wash Lake sits behind a large dike that separates it from Squaw Lake and the Colorado River. There is an intake along the road over the dike and it is used to pump water into the lake. The lake can also be fed by the very large wash, where the name for this area. originates When the local farmers are in need of water to irrigate their new crops, the water is pumped back out and the normally dirt fields are flooded.

A level in the lake is for the most part maintained but the lake can go up or down on any given day depending on the local agricultural needs. The rise can be significant and for those that are camping along this body of water there is a horn that will blow when the lake level is about to go up. The horn is also to warn those campers that they may meed to move quickly to keep their land yachts from becoming sea worthy. These days, there is not a lot of pumping into the lake and after a very dry season, much of the vegetation around the lake is strained. But even a small amount of rain has an amazing effect on what you would think was a dead landscape. Many of my photos show nothing but dirt and rock (especially in my last post down in the wash area) but the last time we were here, this baron landscape was full of the color green. Small plants spring to life with just a little moisture.

The river is an all together different story. At one time, the river emptied into the Gulf of California, between mainland Mexico and the Baja Peninsula. But drought, climate change and increased demand for water are the reasons the iconic river no longer reaches the sea. A view from Google Earth shows where the river should be but today, only a mud delta remains. In May of 2014 a water pulse was released to study the effects and within days after the release, the then wet delta sprang to life with vegetation. When we take a drive around the countryside we are noticing many crops that are new in just the past few years we have been coming here. For several years there have been vegetable crops grown in this area to feed the growing demand, but now we see corn, hay and many other crops that are high water consumers.