John F. Rickenbach: With the huge impending spring runoff ahead, there’s a real opportunity in terms of how the Colorado River watershed will be managed over the next few months.
The power plant in Glen Canyon Dam generates electricity for about about 5 million people in seven states. Hydropower turbines within the dam may have to be shut off if water levels behind the dam in Lake Powell drop further.As we wait for the runoff into the Colorado River and Lake Powell to begin, there’s no need to sit idly by and just watch it happen when you could still influence how the Bureau of Reclamation manages the runoff in the months ahead.
BOR’s recent message to increase April releases through Glen Canyon Dam from 552,000 to 910,000 acre-feet caused concern in that regard. I understand the bureau is trying to manage for the long haul, and dealing with its multiple facilities and competing goals in their management. But such an early high volume release — before the serious runoff really begins — jeopardizes boating access to Lake Powell at least through April.
If the concept is to help Lake Mead now, what is the urgency? At 1,045, it’s in no danger of approaching minimum power pool this year, and the reservoirs below Hoover Dam are essentially full. It would seem that the entire system would be better served leaving as much in Lake Powell right now, as it can always be released later in the event it is really needed downstream for one reason or another. Once the water flows through Glen Canyon Dam, it’s never coming back.
At that time, the bureau projected it would release 9.5 million acre-feet through the dam if that were to occur. Although there may be a temptation to now release more than that, I would hope that the bureau follow its own previous recommendation, and keep outflows to no more than that amount for the year. That would allow for a reasonable rise in Lake Mead of at least 20 feet, and possibly more considering the high inflows from the streams below Glen Canyon Dam.
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