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Saturday’s top of the scroll: Grand Canyon sandbar restoration planned with high water flows from Glen Canyon dam

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 12, 2009 at 9:32 am

sandbarFrom the Environment News Service:

“The Department of the Interior will undertake an experimental initiative to improve the management of Glen Canyon Dam and the Colorado River as it flows through Grand Canyon National Park, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced Thursday during the Colorado River Water Users Association conference.

“We must find a way to protect one of the world’s most treasured landscapes, the Grand Canyon, while meeting water and clean energy needs in the face of climate change,” Salazar said in a video message to the water users’ meeting at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. The video was taped in Copenhagen where Secretary Salazar is participating in the global climate change conference.

“Today, I am directing the development of a protocol for conducting additional high flow experiments at the dam,” Salazar said.

“These experimental high flows, like the one in 2008, send sediment downstream to rebuild sandbars, beaches and backwaters. The rebuilt areas provide key wildlife habitat, enhance the aquatic food base, protect archeological sites, and create additional camping opportunities in the canyon,” he said. … “

Read more from the Environment News Service by clicking here. Brief coverage of this story from the Associated Press by clicking here.

December 12, 2009 · Filed Under Colorado River Basin

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