Glen Canyon Dam releases aim to improve Colo. River

The Interior Department said it will test high-volume water releases from the Glen Canyon Dam in an effort to simulate natural flooding and improve sediment flow through the Grand Canyon. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar also announced Wednesday that the department will remove and relocate, rather than destroy, non-native fish species in the Colorado River as part of a long-term study on the river. “We’re protecting one of world’s most treasured landscapes,” said Salazar, who called the Colorado the “lifeblood” of the region for the water and power it provides. Under the plan unveiled Wednesday, the department could begin releasing high amounts of water from the Glen Canyon Dam as early as this October to enhance sediment levels and help restore beaches on the Colorado River. If it works, similar releases from the dam on the Arizona-Utah border could continue when conditions are favorable for high sediment deposits, usually during early spring or fall, through 2020. Nikolai Lash, a program director at the Grand Canyon Trust, called the high-flow experiments a “home run” in preserving the canyon and river...more