then let us see how his 'Hope' does!
Posted on 02/25/2008 3:50:45 PM PST by NormsRevenge
PHOENIX - For the third time since 1996, officials plan to unleash a manmade flood in the Grand Canyon next month in an effort to restore an ecosystem that was altered by a dam constructed on the Colorado River decades ago.
The Glen Canyon Dam, completed in 1963 upstream from the Grand Canyon, permanently changed the Colorado River, transforming it from a warm, muddy, unpredictable force of nature into a cooler, clearer, tightly controlled water-delivery system.
Without spring floods to flush the system and help rebuild beaches and fish habitat, native species suffered even as non-native fish thrived. The shift helped speed the extinction of four fish species and push two others, including the endangered humpback chub, near the edge.
In 1996, the government staged the first artificial flood in the canyon, opening Glen Canyon Dam's bypass tubes for several days in an attempt to replicate natural cycles. A second test in 2004 taught scientists the importance of sand and sediment.
The dam traps almost all the sediment that once flowed down the river, which is why beaches and habitats have eroded. A good monsoon season can wash significant quantities of sand down the Paria and Little Colorado rivers, which empty into the big Colorado below the dam.
If approved by the U.S. Department of the Interior, next month's flood will scour and reshape miles of sandy banks on the floor of the Grand Canyon. The department's decision is expected this week.
If approved, flows in the Grand Canyon would increase to 41,000 cubic feet per second for nearly three days — four to five times the normal amount of water released from the Glen Canyon Dam. What scientists and environmentalists want to see is what will happen to the fish and the canyon when the gates close at dam and the staged flood recedes.
Federal officials insist they have progressed with long-term plans to offset the effects of the dam on the river and the Grand Canyon. The chub, the fish at the center of much of the dispute, has recovered some of its lost numbers since the last flood. Scientists also think they better understand when to trigger future floods.
"Our ultimate purpose is to learn whether or not this is a viable strategy for creating sandbars and habitats for native fish," said John Hamill, chief of the Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center, part of the U.S. Geological Survey.
Environmental groups argue that the upcoming flood again delays long-term changes to the river's management, further jeopardizing the canyon's health. They want federal officials to permanently alter the dam's operation instead of repeating the same test, adopting a seasonally adjusted plan that better mimics nature.
Nikolai Lash, senior program director for the Grand Canyon Trust, a group that has long fought the government over its management of the dam, said the March flood was hastily planned after the trust sued the government last year for failing to protect the river.
He said the experiment was purposely designed as a single test, even though most scientists think floods must occur regularly.
"They're trying to make it appear that they're doing something beneficial when they're just doing it for appearances," he said. "It's being manipulated to be a 'one and done,' even though we know that doesn't work."
Who cares about chubs????
I agree.
Adapt or die.
one good flush deserves another..
That and it will wash all the plastic bags further downstream.
Any Freepers have a way to white water raft this monsoon?
Freepmail me.
We are short of water all over the west, and they are going to send millions of gallons downstream.
Is there any reference in the plan that shows it will eventually be caught up in another reservoir? Or will it go down the Rio Grande and drown alot of illegal intruders????
Come July or August they will be complaining about water shortages downstream.
actually, the marshlands and wildlife in Mexico will welcome any water they can get out of this flush job
Surprising that they’d do this now, the level of Lake Powell has been way down.
It must be because of the enviros but the enviros won’t be happy until Glen Canyon Dam is removed.
Just use a Dredging barge to pump the sediment over the backside of the dam and they'll have their muddy river back.
I’m gonna pop a link or two for those who would like to see the flow of the colorado river.. and where it goes south of the border.
http://www.sci.sdsu.edu/salton/DecidingAboutCoR%20Delta.html
If we had any sense, we’d dam up the grand canyon.
“Surprising that they’d do this now, the level of Lake Powell has been way down.”
Spring thaw is coming.
Meanwhile, in a related development, Las Vegas is preparing to go to war with Los Angeles because of lack of water.
Yes, it is but the level has been way down for years and the Spring thaw won't come close to filling it even if they didn't do this.
But its a humpback chub. It is the best bait for humpback whales nature ever devised.
We were on Lake Powell a couple of years back and they were complaining that it was drying up. Now they want to open the flood gates for chubs?
then let us see how his 'Hope' does!
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