To Dam or not to Dam

There is no doubt that dams constructed in the West have provided human with reliable water supply, hydropower, recreation opportunities and a ‘scenic’ view that numerous tourists travel to visit.

However, dams are man-made structures that alter the habitat and pose harms to many local species. The Glen Canyon Dam is a good example. In the beginning, people rejected the project because it would destroy the natural and scenic wonders of Glen Canyon but no one was aware of the impacts to the down-stream habitat.

In 1992, the Grand Canyon Protection Act was enacted to address the negative effects. One major event was the simulated flood in 1996 which helped to restore a more ‘normal’ flow of the river.

In Scott Miller’s Undamming Glen Canyon, published by the Stanford Environmental Law Journal http://www.drainit.org/pdfs/ScottMillerReport.pdf, he called “the 1996 releases from Glen Canyon Dam represent the first time in history that a federal reclamation project was operated exclusively for the benefit of the environment.”

This change in mentality was driven by former Secretary Babbitt who said “The Bureau of Reclamation is no longer the world's largest construction company, but it can and will be one of the world's great water resource management agencies.” More on his leadership towards river restoration will be on the next posting.