PHOENIX – Federal officials on Monday began three days of high water flows from Lake Powell to help improve environmental conditions on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon.
The goal is to move accumulated sediment downstream and begin to rebuild beaches on the river that have eroded in recent years. It’s the first such high-flow experiment at the dam since 2018 and the first during spring runoff season.
The engineered flood, which began when the Bureau of Reclamation opened bypass tubes at Glen Canyon Dam early Monday, mimics some of the river’s pre-dam flows, when snowmelt runoff from the mountains far upstream would raise water levels and redistribute sediment. Since Glen Canyon Dam’s completion in 1963, the water flowing into the Grand Canyon has carried less sediment, much of the river’s sand and other materials trapped behind the dam.
Releasing more water from Lake Powell won’t change the total amount of water that flows through the system this year, bureau officials said. The water will arrive at Lake Mead earlier than it would have otherwise and remain there until it’s needed downstream.
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