Arkansas River

Rio Grande

Colorado River

South Platte River

Ogallala Aquifer

The above rivers and the Ogallala Aquifer play a major role in providing groundwater and riparian habitats throughout the Southern Rockies.

However, human contact has severely affected, if not destroyed, countless wetlands habitats due to mining, pollution, and population spread.

Dams also play a role.

There are over a thousand dams in the Southern Rockies. These impoundments change water temperatures and eliminate or reduce natural floods. Unfortunately, some riparian and aquatic communities, such as cottonwood forests, depend on floods for regeneration.

Mining and other land uses have polluted many mountain streams. Housing and urban development often occur along streams and rivers in the Southern Rockies, displacing natural riparian communities and critical wildlife habitats. Some native aquatic species, such as cutthroat trout are at risk to extinction because they have lost habitats, have been over-fished, and are being out-competed by non-native trout species. In other words, some of the most important habitats in this region are also some of the most threatened.