LIVING HYDROLOGICAL RADAR
River Pulse: Hydrology Through Time
Powered by USGS modern Water Data APIs exposing real-time and historical discharge across 13,500+ monitoring stations. Every river is both a physical geological object and an engineered human system through time.
USGS WATER DATA APIS & NHD HYDROGRAPHY
River Pulse: Follow One Drop
Follow a single drop of alpine snowmelt as it traverses hundreds of miles through whitewater canyons, massive hydroelectric reservoirs, diversion canals, and municipal water treatment filters into city taps.
RIVER BASIN
Colorado River Basin (Seven Basin States & Mexico)
TOTAL RIVER LENGTH
1,450 Miles
DRAINAGE AREA
246,000 sq mi
POPULATION RELIANT
40 Million People
WATERSHED PROGRESSION: HOP 1 OF 7Cumulative Travel Time: 0 Days
CURRENT FACILITY & REACHALTITUDE: 10,184 FT
Alpine Snowmelt (Rocky Mountain National Park)
Snowflake melts into a crystal clear alpine brook feeding Grand Lake.
FLOW VELOCITY:
4.5 mph
TOTAL ELAPSED DAYS:
0 Days
WATER USE TRANSFORMATION
Pristine ecological wilderness flow.
TERMINAL BASIN DESTINATION:
Colorado River Delta / Gulf of California (Desiccated before reaching sea)