Not Surprisingly, USBR Will Not Stage Beach-Rebuilding Release From Glen Canyon Dam This Fall

[hatrack]

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation decided not to send water rushing through the Grand Canyon this month to rebuild beaches for campers and sandbars for fish because of persistent drought, officials said. An abundance of sand in the Colorado River system gives the agency an opportunity to flood the waterway to spread the sediment throughout the canyon. Despite favorable conditions after a remarkable monsoon, the November flood is a no-go.

Officials determined opening the bypass tubes at the Glen Canyon Dam would have reduced the elevation of Lake Powell on the Utah-Arizona border by about 2 feet (61 centimeters) — contrary to actions taken over the summer to boost the lake by releasing water upstream and ensure the dam can generate power. Any more time spent below 3,525 feet (1,074 meters) above sea level is considered risky, Lee Traynham, a program manager for the Bureau of Reclamation, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The agency also cited the potential effects of releasing warmer water, the risk of non-native fish moving below the dam and projected losses in hydropower. The Western Area Power Administration already has been struggling to keep up with demand. Controlled floods have been called off before. In 2015, the Bureau of Reclamation decided against one because it was trying to stop the spread of invasive fish.

Jack Schmidt, director of the Center for Colorado River Studies at Utah State University, suspects politics is at play — not science — this time around. “This is the first time that a flood has been canceled because of politics and revenue and economics, and it’s a dangerous precedent,” he told the Review-Journal. “This is exactly what was not supposed to happen.” Tribes, including the Hopi and Hualapai, said they weren’t consulted on the Bureau of Reclamation’s decision, the Arizona Republic reported. The agency said it notified tribes in late September of a possible fall flood but didn’t receive any responses requesting consultation.

EDIT

https://apnews.com/article/floods-business-arizona-lakes-colorado-river-8697dda4e7b6292ce7da2fa2852224ea

[2naSalit]

1. And here we go.

[Thunderbeast]

2. A recent study of the Colorado system suggested draining Lake Powell.

Evaporation from the surfaces of Lake Powell and Lake Mead result in a nearly ten percent loss of river water. Some hydrologists suggest that by draining the upper pool, "daylighting" Glen Canyon, and storing ALL of the water in Lake Mead, the reduction in surface area would have a significant impact on available river flow.

Hayduke and Seldom Seen had a more permanent solution in mind (tip of the hat to Edward Abbey fans). Even Barry Goldwater regretted his support of the Lake Powell project.

The western deserts can not support the massive cities that have developed there. John Wesley Powell knew this in his early explorations of the river in 1869. It will not be long before serious debate begins about diversion projects from the Columbia and Mississippi basins.