Located in Western Colorado between Montrose and Gunnison at an elevation of 2,292 meters (7,519 feet) above the sea level, the Colorado’s largest body of water is a must-see destination.
Formed by damming the Gunnison river (the largest tributary of the Colorado river) in 1965, Blue Mesa Reservoir spans about 35 km (22 miles) and boasts over 155 km (96 miles) of shoreline. Blue Mesa Reservoir is part of the Curecanti National Recreation Area and offers the best of Colorado with truly outstanding and spectacular scenic areas and great recreation.
Boaters love this long reservoir, which has several arms (creeks) that lead into secluded canyons. The fishing is legendary, as it’s stocked with millions of fish each year, and it is home to the largest cokanee salmon fishery in the U.S., as well as a large number of small crowd and big trout (the biggest ever caught was 23 kg and measured 112 cm long). And, with camping, windsurfing, waterskiing, hiking, horseback riding and boat tours also vying for attention, it takes a few days to experience it all.
During summer of 2021, the water level at Colorado‘s largest lake is currently falling faster than it has ever fallen before. It’s not because of evaporation or a lack of conservation here. Instead, the federal government has decided that the water in Blue Mesa Reservoir in Gunnison County is needed downstream more than it's needed here.
The National Park Service announced in late July that from now until at least the end of September, Blue Mesa Reservoir would fall another 61 cm (2 feet) per week.
The lake was already 18.6 meters (61 feet) below capacity at the end of July. By the end of September, it will probably be 29.3 meters (96 feet) below capacity, a level not seen since it hit 28.4 meters (93 feet) in 1984.
According to the National Park Service, more than 922,000 people visited Blue Mesa Reservoir in 2020, spending more than 40 million dollars which directly supports about 500 jobs in the region. July, August, and September are generally the busiest months at Blue Mesa.
However, the impact is larger than just her marina or souvenir shop. If water lose much more, it's not going to be able to produce electricity at Blue Mesa Dam. The problem with that is that millions of people rely on that power.
"We probably won't see Blue Mesa full for a very long time, if ever again", says the National Park Service spokesperson.
The Colorado River and its tributaries support about 40 million people and more than 7,800 square miles of farmland in Mexico and Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Wyoming and Utah. A shortage has never occurred in the river...
Photos courtesy of Internet and...
  Â
Read more
Learn more insights from Wanderboat AI.
