Rio Conchos
Encyclopedia
The Rio Conchos is a large river in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It joins the Río Bravo del Norte
(known in the United States
as the Rio Grande) at the town of Ojinaga, Chihuahua.
near Bocoyna
in the municipality of Guadalupe, Chihuahua
, where it heads east and receives several tributaries along the way. At Valle de Zaragoza (municipality)
, Chihuahua, it is stopped at the Presa de la Boquilla dam, the largest in Chihuahua forming Toronto Lake. It then heads east again forming Colina Lake and then passes through Camargo, Chihuahua
, the main agricultural center in the region, where it receives the Florido as a tributary.
From there the Conchos heads north, receiving the San Pedro near Delicias, Chihuahua
, entering the Chihuahua Desert and cutting a path through it, before turning to the northeast. At Aldama, Chihuahua, it is dammed by the Presa El Granero, then cuts through a canyon called the Peguis Canyon, before forming a last dam (Toribio Ortega) near Ojinaga. At Ojinaga it joins the Rio Bravo in English referred to as the (Rio Grande).
(WWF) has included the Rio Conchos in its Global 200
Freshwater Ecoregions assessment. The Global 200 is a list of freshwater ecoregions (rivers systems and lakes, for example) that the WWF considers of global importance for biodiversity
conservation. The WWF's assessment of the Rio Conchos rates its biological distinctiveness as "globally outstanding" and its conservation status as critically endangered, putting it in the "priority I" category of needing conservation attention.
The Rio Conchos contains the only free-flowing large river environment left in the Rio Grande drainage basin. Its river and spring
habitat ecosystems are relatively intact and support a highly endemic fish fauna. Twelve of its forty-seven native fish are endemic, as are twelve of its forty-six native herpetofauna
species. The strong biodiversity has survived in part because the river's ecology has not been affected by channel modifications
. The Rio Conchos region is significant not only for its surface water biota but also its and specialized spring and cave habitats, which contribute to the region's high endemism. However, conditions are being damaged by industrial pollution, sewage, agricultural wastes, flow regulation, exotic species
, and overgrazing. Other threats include poor land and water management practices, such as clear-cutting along the upper Rio Conchos.
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
(known in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as the Rio Grande) at the town of Ojinaga, Chihuahua.
Description
The Rio Conchos is the main river in the state of Chihuahua and the Rio Grande's largest tributary. It is one of the most important river systems in all of northern Mexico. The Conchos has several reservoirs that make use of its water for agricultural and hydropower uses.Course
The Conchos rises in the Sierra Madre OccidentalSierra Madre Occidental
The Sierra Madre Occidental is a mountain range in western Mexico.-Setting:The range runs north to south, from just south of the Sonora–Arizona border southeast through eastern Sonora, western Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Durango, Zacatecas, Nayarit, Jalisco, Aguascalientes to Guanajuato, where it joins...
near Bocoyna
Bocoyna
Bocoyna is a town and seat of the municipality of Bocoyna, in Chihuahua state of northern Mexico. As of 2005, the town had a total population of 735.Bocoyna is located on the route of the Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacífico Railroad...
in the municipality of Guadalupe, Chihuahua
Guadalupe, Chihuahua
Guadalupe is a city and seat of the municipality of Guadalupe, in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua. As of 2010, the town had a total population of 3,022 inhabitants....
, where it heads east and receives several tributaries along the way. At Valle de Zaragoza (municipality)
Valle de Zaragoza
Valle de Zaragoza is a settlement in the Mexican state of Chihuahua.It serves as the municipal seat of the surrounding municipality of Valle de Zaragoza...
, Chihuahua, it is stopped at the Presa de la Boquilla dam, the largest in Chihuahua forming Toronto Lake. It then heads east again forming Colina Lake and then passes through Camargo, Chihuahua
Camargo, Chihuahua
Santa Rosalía de Camargo, originally called Santa Rosalia, and now known as "Camargo City", is a city in the eastern part of the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It serves as municipal seat of Camargo municipality. It is a colonial town steeped in history. The Mission Santa Rosalía has a beautiful park...
, the main agricultural center in the region, where it receives the Florido as a tributary.
From there the Conchos heads north, receiving the San Pedro near Delicias, Chihuahua
Delicias, Chihuahua
Delicias is a city in the Mexican state of Chihuahua and serves as the seat of the municipality of the same name. It is located southeast of the state capital, Chihuahua. Delicias was declared an official municipality of the state of Chihuahua on January 7, 1935...
, entering the Chihuahua Desert and cutting a path through it, before turning to the northeast. At Aldama, Chihuahua, it is dammed by the Presa El Granero, then cuts through a canyon called the Peguis Canyon, before forming a last dam (Toribio Ortega) near Ojinaga. At Ojinaga it joins the Rio Bravo in English referred to as the (Rio Grande).
Ecology
The World Wide Fund for NatureWorld Wide Fund for Nature
The World Wide Fund for Nature is an international non-governmental organization working on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment, formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in Canada and the United States...
(WWF) has included the Rio Conchos in its Global 200
Global 200
The Global 200 is the list of ecoregions identified by the World Wildlife Fund as priorities for conservation. According to the WWF, an ecoregion is defined as a "relatively large unit of land or water containing a characteristic set of natural communities that share a large majority of their...
Freshwater Ecoregions assessment. The Global 200 is a list of freshwater ecoregions (rivers systems and lakes, for example) that the WWF considers of global importance for biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
conservation. The WWF's assessment of the Rio Conchos rates its biological distinctiveness as "globally outstanding" and its conservation status as critically endangered, putting it in the "priority I" category of needing conservation attention.
The Rio Conchos contains the only free-flowing large river environment left in the Rio Grande drainage basin. Its river and spring
Spring (hydrosphere)
A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
habitat ecosystems are relatively intact and support a highly endemic fish fauna. Twelve of its forty-seven native fish are endemic, as are twelve of its forty-six native herpetofauna
Herpetology
Herpetology is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians and reptiles...
species. The strong biodiversity has survived in part because the river's ecology has not been affected by channel modifications
River engineering
River engineering is the process of planned human intervention in the course, characteristics or flow of a river with the intention of producing some defined benefit. People have intervened in the natural course and behaviour of rivers since before recorded history - to manage the water resources,...
. The Rio Conchos region is significant not only for its surface water biota but also its and specialized spring and cave habitats, which contribute to the region's high endemism. However, conditions are being damaged by industrial pollution, sewage, agricultural wastes, flow regulation, exotic species
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
, and overgrazing. Other threats include poor land and water management practices, such as clear-cutting along the upper Rio Conchos.