Rio Grande / Rio Bravo Journey

The Rio Grande/Rio Bravo is the second longest river in North America. From the headwaters of the San Juan Mountains in southern Colorado to the gulf of Mexico, the river measures 1,885 mile (3,033 kilometers). The watershed or basin that includes the surrounding land consists of 355,500 square miles (920,389 square kilometers) which includes the habitat for native and migratory species and sustains the unique biodiversity among the various landforms of this basin. The area is rich with tradition, culture, heritage and history. The river has provided the welfare to many travelers, settlers and natives that occupied the land.

Thousands of farmers on the borders of the United States and Mexico rely heavily on this resource for irrigating crops. The City of El Paso relies on approximately half of its drinking water from the river. The Elephant Butte Reservoir and Dam serves to release the required allocations to southern New Mexico, Texas and Mexico. The allocation agreements for the two countries were established from treaty agreements set by the United States Bureau of Reclamation (BoR).