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Why does only about half of the Rio Grande watershed contribute water to the river?
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Rio Grande
The Rio Grande basin and its drainage network.
The Rio Grande has a total watershed area of approximately 336,000 square miles (870,000 square km). However, because a large proportion of this basin is arid or semiarid, only about half of the total area—roughly 176,000 square miles (456,000 square km)—actually contributes to the river’s flow.1