The Río Conchos (Conchos River) is a large river in the
Mexican state of
Chihuahua. It joins the
Río Bravo del Norte (known in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
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.
The Conchos has several reservoirs that make use of its water for agricultural and hydropower uses.
Course
The Conchos rises in the
Sierra Madre Occidental in the municipality of
Bocoyna, Chihuahua, where it heads east and receives several tributaries along the way. At
Valle de Zaragoza municipality, Chihuahua, it is stopped at the
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 the Peguis Canyon, before forming a last dam (Toribio Ortega) near
Ojinaga. At Ojinaga, it joins the Rio Bravo (Rio Grande in the U.S.).
Ecology
The
World Wide Fund for Nature
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is a Swiss-based international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named th ...
(WWF) has included the Rio Conchos in its
Global 200
The Global 200 is the list of ecoregions identified by the World Wide Fund for Nature ( WWF), the global conservation organization, as priorities for conservation. According to WWF, an ecoregion is defined as a "relatively large unit of land or w ...
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 is the variability of life, life on Earth. It can be measured on various levels. There is for example genetic variability, species diversity, ecosystem diversity and Phylogenetics, phylogenetic diversity. Diversity is not distribut ...
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
A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...
. Its river and
spring habitat ecosystems are relatively intact and support a highly
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
fish fauna.
[De la Maza-Benignos, M. (ed). 2009. Los Peces del Río Conchos. Alianza World Wildlife Fund-Fundación Gonzalo Río Arronte http://awsassets.panda.org/downloads/peces2010_web.pdf] Twelve of its forty-seven native fish are endemic, as are twelve of its 46 native reptile and amphibian 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 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
Overgrazing occurs when plants are exposed to intensive grazing for extended periods of time, or without sufficient recovery periods. It can be caused by either livestock in poorly managed agricultural applications, game reserves, or nature ...
. Other threats include poor land and water management practices, such as clear-cutting along the upper Rio Conchos.
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See also
* List of rivers of Mexico
This is a list of rivers of Mexico, listed from north to south. There are 246 rivers on this list. Alternate names for rivers are given in parentheses.
Rivers flowing into the Gulf of Mexico
*Rio Grande, Río Bravo, the name of the Rio Grande in ...
* List of longest rivers of Mexico
* List of tributaries of the Rio Grande
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Conchos
Conchos
Tributaries of the Rio Grande
Rivers of the Sierra Madre Occidental
Rivers of Chihuahua (state)
Chihuahuan Desert
Natural history of the Mexican Plateau