President Theodore Roosevelt expressed the feelings most Americans have for Grand Canyon when he said it is “absolutely unparalleled throughout the rest of the world.” One of the seven natural wonders of the world, Grand Canyon’s international prominence puts a spotlight on the management of Glen Canyon Dam. The dam, located 15 miles above Grand Canyon National Park, controls the flow of the Colorado River, a part of which runs 277 miles through the park. The flows that leave the dam affect wildlife, plants, archaeological resources and camping beaches all along the river’s stretch through the park. Not unexpectedly, dam operations are of great interest to Americans and the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Interior not only operates Glen Canyon Dam but also manages and protects Grand Canyon National Park and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. In addition, it is responsible for the conservation of endangered species and the development of the science necessary to manage Colorado River resources.

On March 5, 2008, Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne pulled the levers at Glen Canyon Dam to release the high flows into the Colorado River for a 60-hour period. Participating in the high-flow experiment and associated research are scientists and resource managers from the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Geological Survey. In addition, Interior is consulting with its Bureau of Indian Affairs and state, tribal and private partners. All are members of the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program Work Group. This group advises Kempthorne on how best to balance protection of downstream resources and Grand Canyon National Park while maintaining the authorized purposes of Glen Canyon Dam in delivering water and producing hydropower.

But why free the Colorado River?

“No longer does the Colorado yield its greatest force against the rock, the power of floodwaters roaring down the canyon. And because of this, the canyon has changed. Its wildlife has changed. The intricate tapestry of this remarkable ecosystem formed over millions of years has been altered,” said Kempthorne in his opening remarks before opening two of Glen Canyon Dam’s four jet tubes. “Today, we are here to set the river free once again. And through this experiment we hope to enhance the habitat in the canyon and its wildlife, and learn more about these complex natural systems.”

The Grand Canyon ecosystem was permanently altered following the construction of the Glen Canyon Dam in 1963. Before the dam, spring snowmelt swelled the Colorado River. This contributed to the river’s natural flood cycle and transported the large quantities of sand that created and maintained Grand Canyon sandbars. Now most of the river’s sediment is trapped behind the dam.

“Though it may not be possible to bring the habitat in the Grand Canyon back to what is was before the dam, experimental actions such as the 2008 high-flow test can help inform agency decision making, in regards to both dam operations and other management actions, under the authority of the Secretary of the Interior,” said Randy Peterson, manager of the Environmental Services Division for Reclamation’s Upper Colorado Region. “Researchers from many Interior Department agencies are working together because we all share a common goal of learning from today’s test and using that knowledge.”

The 2008 test is similar to the previous high-flow experiments Interior conducted in 1996 and 2004. However, the amount of sediment available is considerably larger. In the 17 months preceding the March 2008 experiment, tributaries below the dam provided more sand to the system than had been available at any time since 1998. The volume of sand available in 2008 to rebuild and maintain beaches in Grand Canyon was about two times greater than the supply that preceded the 2004 experiment. In addition, the 2008 test distributed this larger sand supply throughout downstream reaches to a greater extent than the test in 2004.  

The Role of Science

The USGS Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center coordinates the research for the 2008 high-flow experiment. By evaluating the environmental response to setting the river free once again, scientists seek to evaluate the use of high flows to improve a range of Grand Canyon resources.

“Given the current amount of sand in the system, we have a tremendous opportunity to learn more about whether high flows can be used to improve important natural, cultural, and recreational resources in Glen and Grand Canyons,” said John Hamill, chief of the USGS Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center.

Research for the 2008 experiment will focus on a wide range of questions, not just whether high-flow releases could rebuild and maintain sandbars over time. Can the releases build and maintain backwater habitats that offer advantages to humpback chub and other native fishes? Can new sand deposits help protect cultural sites? What effects do high-flow releases have on riverside vegetation, rainbow trout, the aquatic food base that supports native and nonnative fishes, and Lake Powell’s water quality?

 Though spectacular, these releases from the dam are only one step in a lengthy scientific process to understand how downstream resources respond to high-volume flows. Interpreting the large volume of data researchers collected before, during, and after the two-and-one-half-day, high-flow release could take from months to years.

“With more than 100 federal, state and university researchers collecting data on behalf of this experiment, it will take some time to interpret the data and reach final conclusions on what has been learned,” Hamill said. “The effects of the high-flow experiment on various resources in Glen and Grand Canyons will be evaluated in the field through the fall of 2008.”

USGS anticipates it will provide initial reports from the experiment to the public in late 2008 and 2009. It also plans to release a complete synthesis of the results, including comparisons with the 1996 and 2004 tests, to the public in 2010.

Fifteen Minutes of Fame

Ever wonder what it takes to prepare for the news story of the day or wonder what it means when the world is watching? If you were at Glen Canyon Dam on March 5, 2008, you have a new-found sympathy for presidential candidates and others in the limelight.

Broadcast crews from CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News, the Today Show, Fox News, CNN and the Discovery Channel trekked to Glen Canyon Dam to cover Kempthorne’s initiation of the high-flow release. In addition, reporters and photographers from national publications such as The Arizona Republic, Associated Press, The Denver Post, Los Angeles Times, Nature Magazine and The Salt Lake Tribune traveled to Page, Ariz., to cover the event.

“Inviting international news media organizations to the Glen Canyon Dam’s grand stage to cover the initiation of the experiment doesn’t come without some unique challenges,” said Kerry McCalman, chief of the Power Office for Reclamations Upper Colorado Region. “For instance, to accommodate NBC’s live-broadcast production needs necessitated that we assist them in stringing more than 1,500 feet of fiber optic cable off the face of the dam so they could reach their high-definition cameras positioned below.”

In the end, Interior’s creative and talented professionals and scientists ran cable, talked to school children, hosted the secretary, and set a river free, at least for a few hours.