May 18, 2014: After several weeks flowing through the parched Colorado River Delta and completing its journey to the Sea of Cortez, the pulse flow comes to an end.
\nEcologists will continue to monitor promising seedling growth, promising indicators for the pulse flow\u2019s long–\u2010term ecological success.<\/p>\n
May 14, 2014: In an exciting, and long hoped-for milestone of the pulse flow, the Colorado River connects with the Gulf of California for the first time in decades.
\nFew believed it was possible \u2013 including some of the pulse flow\u2019s most informed advocates \u2013 but the reunion was seen by all as a symbol of hope for the future.<\/p>\n
April 2014: The pulse flow reaches Laguna Grade, a significant ecological restoration site in the Colorado River Delta.
\nOver the next year, ecologists will monitor the seedlings nourished by the pulse flow, hopefully watching them grow into saplings then into mature cottonwoods and willow trees. Vegetation that survives through the Fall 2014 will likely continue to grow in the delta year-round.<\/p>\n
March 31, 2014: Water from the pulse flow reaches San Luis Rio Colorado \u2013 a town named after the Colorado River \u2013 where local community members have come together in celebration.
\nFor many, especially the young children, this was the first time they saw water in what was previously a dry, sandy, unrecognizable riverbed.<\/p>\n
March 27, 2014: U.S. and Mexican policymakers, water managers, conservation leaders, reporters and local community members gather at the border to watch the pulse flow rush through the gates of Morelos Dam at its highest flow rate.
\nMembers of the binational Minute 319 negotiating team celebrated the culmination of what, for many, was decades of hard work. Hands were shaken, backs were patted, champagne was poured and toasts were made. It was the ultimate cheers-worthy moment.<\/p>\n
March 23,2014: The gates at Morelos Dam are opened, marking the start of the pulse flow.
\nApproximately 105,392 acre-feet of water \u2013 nearly 1 percent of annual Colorado River flows \u2013 was released from Morelos Dam at the U.S.-Mexico border and made its way downstream into the long depleted Colorado River Delta.<\/p>\n
February 2014: The pulse flow is officially announced by U.S. and Mexican federal policymakers.
\nInternational Boundary and Water Commissioners Edward Drusina and Roberto Fernando Salmon Castelo announce plans to move forward with a one–\u2010time release of water down the Colorado River into its channel in the Delta.<\/p>\n
November 20, 2012: U.S. and Mexican International Boundary and Water Commissioners sign an innovative, binational agreement to begin restoration of the Colorado River Delta.
\nThe agreement, formally known as Minute 319, provided the legal framework for the pulse flow. It also included provisions for the U.S. and Mexico to share surpluses in times of plenty and reductions in times of drought, provides incentives for leaving water in storage, and conserves water through joint investments in projects from water users in both countries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"