Blog: A century of watching the Colorado River
Inside the tower is a U.S. Geological Survey streamgage that will mark its centennial year of monitoring the river on October 1, 2021. At a time when jazz music was exploding and liquor was prohibited, the streamgage began collecting information about the water’s level and flow. USGS scientists chose the site in 1921 because it was readily accessible and strategically located to study the hydrology of the Colorado River drainage basin. Now, seven states within the basin depend on the river for water supply and hydropower production.