Dolores River

The Dolores River is a tributary of the Colorado River, approximately 241 miles (388 km) long, in the U.S. states of Colorado and Utah. The river drains a rugged and arid region of the Colorado Plateau west of the San Juan Mountains. Its name derives from the Spanish El Rio de Nuestra Señora de Dolores, River of Our Lady of Sorrows. The river was explored and possibly named by Juan Maria Antonio Rivera during a 1765 expedition from Santa Fe.

Dolores River
Dolores River
The Dolores River watershed
Location
CountryUnited States
StateColorado, Utah
Physical characteristics
SourceSan Juan National Forest
  locationMontezuma County, Colorado
  coordinates37°43′18″N 107°52′47″W
  elevation11,650 ft (3,550 m)
MouthColorado River
  location
Grand County, Utah
  coordinates
38°49′00″N 109°16′02″W
  elevation
4,390 ft (1,340 m)
Length241 mi (388 km)
Basin size4,574 sq mi (11,850 km2)
Discharge 
  locationCisco, UT, about 9 mi (14 km) from the mouth
  average630 cu ft/s (18 m3/s)
  minimum1.5 cu ft/s (0.042 m3/s)
  maximum12,900 cu ft/s (370 m3/s)
Basin features
Tributaries 
  rightWest Dolores River, San Miguel River (Colorado)

The mean annual flow of the Dolores prior to damming was approximately 1,200 cu ft/s (34 m3/s), but due to diversions it has been reduced to about 600 cu ft/s (17 m3/s).

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