Help Shape the Future of the Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam

Comment Period Open for Glen Canyon Dam Long-Term Experimental and Management Plan

The Bureau of Reclamation and National Park Service are gearing up to do some long-term planning for the operation of Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River and they are seeking your input. The operation of the Dam is directly linked to the health of the Colorado River as it flows through the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Grand Canyon National Park. Through developing a Long-Term Experimental and Management Plan Environmental Impact Statement (LTEMP EIS), the agencies will evaluate how to operate the dam in a way that is protective of the environmental, cultural and recreational values of the Colorado River while also meeting water supply obligations and providing hydropower.  

This is the first time that the operation of Glen Canyon Dam has been evaluated in 15 years. Since 1996, flow experiments have taken place in an effort to redistribute sediment and restore habitat and beaches. An Adaptive Management Working Group has studied these flow experiments, which include high flow studies that began in 2008 and will end in 2012.

The LTEMP EIS will incorporate the information gained from these and other studies to evaluate specific alternatives that can be implemented to minimize the adverse impacts downstream of the dam in the future. The LTEMP EIS will also consider dam operations in the context of climate change and examine whether to establish a recovery program under the Endangered Species Act for endangered fish species. 

Input from the public will be combined with information from the Adaptive Management Working Group to inform the future of the operations of the dam. The final findings will impact river health through dam operations over the next 15 to 20 years and it’s important that you’re involved in the process! 

You can help shape what the Bureau of Reclamation and National Park Service consider in their LTEMP EIS. The public comment period is open until December 30, 2011. Public scoping meetings are also being held throughout the west, and we encourage you to attend one in your area. 

Tuesday, November 8th, 2011, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m