Colorado River Conservancy

The Department of the Interior has proposed conducting a high-flow experiment from Glen Canyon Dam. The proposed experiment is tentatively scheduled to begin on the evening of March 4, when the water will begin ramping up. The water will continue ramping up to 42,000-CFS on March 6. It will stay at this level for 60 hours and begin the down-ramp on the afternoon of March 8. Normal dam operations will begin on March 9. The stated purpose of this experiment is to rebuild beaches in the Grand Canyon, establish back waters that native fish might or might not use, and protect archeological sites in the Grand Canyon.

Despite the fact that I and many others consider this experiment to be a staged political event and a total and complete waste of time, money, and resources, we do not feel that this experiment will have any long lasting negative impacts on the Lees Ferry trout fishery. We have lived through two previous high-flow experiments and we expect everything to return to normal shortly after the high water event. To put this water flow in historical perspective, I first started guiding here at Lees Ferry in 1983 and the water releases from Glen canyon dam were 35,000 to 45,000-cfs every day for more than a year.

Lee Ferry Anglers is not scheduling any fishing trips during the high flows but we will return to normal operations on March 10. Immediately following the last 2 experimental flows, the fish were eager to eat and our customers experienced fishing success that was “off the charts” due to the vast amount of food (scuds and worms) that is stirred up in the higher flow. We expect the fish to move out of normal spots and congregate in areas where this food is deposited, such as near sand beaches, around corners, and back-eddies. After a few days, the trout will begin moving back into the main channels and riffles to resume normal feeding behavior.

My rational for opposing this type of experiment is based upon my 25 years experience on the Colorado River, a simple grasp of logic and common sense. Since the construction of Glen Canyon dam, all the sediment that is normally transported in the Colorado River is now collected in Lake Powell. During these high releases there is no sediment transported through the dam, the high flows are clear and sediment free. The only sediment that currently accumulates in the Colorado River below Glen Canyon dam is transported to the river via side channels (flash floods) and 2 perennial streams (Paria and Little Colorado rivers). The sediment load of the post-dam Colorado River is a fraction of a fraction of the pre-dam river. All of the sediment that is going to be used to rebuild beaches is transported out of the river. The last statistic I saw was that 97% of this sediment is transported down river, while only 3% is deposited along the river (not all of it on beaches or where the sand is wanted or needed). Then gravity takes effect… the wind blows, the river rises and falls, a few rain storms and the beaches erode back into the river. A couple of years after the experiment the beaches are back where they were pre-experiment and Lake Mead is filling with sand quicker than it would without the experimental flow.

A local guide described it best when he said “using high water flows to build beaches is like using an atomic bomb to dig a hole,” you’ll certainly get a hole dug but at what other expense! Many believe that if you want beaches that will last in the Grand Canyon, there is technology available to achieve this goal using nondestructive methods. As for the two other goals of this experiment, creating back-waters for native fish and protection for archeological sites, there is no science that demonstrates that native fish use back-waters created by these high flows…Period. Archeological site protection from blowing sand??? Whatever happened to professional archeological stabilization or a shovel and wheel barrow to place the sand where you want and need it??? There are those that will say that this is the Grand Canyon National Park and this type of corrective measure is not a “natural process.” I would like to remind everyone that when a trail in the Grand Canyon washes out, they use modern engineering methods and equipment to repair it, same with the Grand Canyon National Park infrastructure.

Earlier I called this experiment a staged political event. The Adaptive Management Workgroup (AMWG) is made up of numerous stakeholders who make river management recommendations to the Secretary of the Interior. A few months back the AMWG voted 14 to 2 against conducting a high-flow experiment. Shortly afterward, news came from Washington DC that everyone should plan for an experiment. Where did this come from? Could it have something to do with, or simply be a coincidence, that this is an election year and someone wants to look like they are being environmentally proactive?

Piggy backed onto the high flow experiment is a proposed 5-year series of low steady flow experiments, during the months of September and October. This proposal is based upon a desire to benefit the Hump Back Chub (HBC), an endangered species that lives in the Little Colorado River. The proposal is likely a result of a lawsuit recently filed by the Grand Canyon Trust against the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) calling for year-around steady flows. The electricity generated by Glen Canyon Dam supplies electrical needs all over the western United States. In a steady flow environment the ability of the BOR and Glen Canyon Dam to produce electricity will be dramatically reduced. If this steady flow experiment is enacted, there will be less clean and inexpensive energy available to the western populace. I’m sure that there is alternative mean of producing replacement electricity through additional coal fired generation, but given the alternative of allowing Glen Canyon Dam to continue producing clean power or replacing it with other polluting methods is a no brainer.

What can you do? This is a proposed experiment but you can expect it to happen, come hell or high water (I couldn’t resist). The Secretary of the Interior is asking for public comments, the comment period is from Feb. 8-23. I urge each of you to write a letter expressing your concerns regarding the proposed experiment…and pass the word to all your friends to write a letter too.

My letter is going to ask the Secretary of the Interior to:

1: Not conduct this experiment and instead investigate nondestructive methods of building beaches in the Grand Canyon and to use common sense and sound judgment in dealing with this and all future planned experiments on the Colorado River.

2: To remove the proposal for low steady flows in September and October from the experiment. I support clean energy and encourage the use of power generation from Glen Canyon Dam.

3: Be sure to state that support the NO ACTION ALTERNATIVE

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