fall’s High Flow Test Experiment at Glen Canyon Dam and the concurrent
release of a 10-year review of science work on the Colorado River
contain an important message for millions of Western water users.
And the usual doomsayers, representing a very small
number of people with a very big agenda, have once again launched into
their tired diatribe about the dam without any acknowledgement of what
the adaptive science program has accomplished or of the true views of
Congress and the American people.
The irony is that the U.S. Geological Survey’s The
State of the Colorado River Ecosystem in Grand Canyon, or SCORE report,
summarized 10 years of knowledge that was openly available.
There’s nothing new there – we’ve all been working for 10 years on what
was included in the report. Meanwhile, the positive news from the
November 2004 High Flow Test Experiment has received little attention.
Previous Administrations of both political parties,
as well as the U.S. Congress, have said that Glen Canyon Dam is here to
stay because it is serving millions of people in the Southwestern
United States.
Congress, through the passage of the Grand Canyon
Protection Act of 1992, clearly stated that the dam and reservoir have
a place in the tapestry of the country. The Act requires the
Bureau of Reclamation to operate the dam “fully consistent with and
subject to the Colorado River Compact…that govern[s] allocation,
appropriation, development, and exportation of the waters of the
Colorado River Basin.” It also requires the operation of the dam
in a manner that will “protect, mitigate adverse impacts to, and
improve the values for which Grand Canyon National Park and Glen Canyon
National Recreation Area were established…”
Congress and the American people expect Glen Canyon
Dam to provide the benefits for which it was established and, at the
same time, they expect us to work closely through the Adaptive
Management Program and the federally chartered advisory committee that
advises the Department of the Interior concerning scientific studies
and review of operations and mitigating activities. This critical
facility is being operated with a sensitive ear towards the information
being gleaned from the largest, and best funded, adaptive management
program that has ever been undertaken in the United States.
That is exactly why the Congress, as well as both
this administration and the previous one, funded the Adaptive
Management Program. That is why the power customers who purchase
hydropower from the dam have supported funding the Adaptive Management
Program to the tune of some $8 million per year. That is why the
governors of the seven Colorado River Basin States continue to
participate. That is why the Indian Tribes of the Colorado River
participate. Reasonable people and organizations are joining
together to help us learn, adjust, and adapt the operation of the dam
while it continues to serve over 25 million people with vital water and
power supplies.
Let’s pick the most visible experiment we have
conducted as an example. One year ago, we released high flows
that many termed “flood flows” to test our ability to rejuvenate
beaches and backwaters downstream in the Grand Canyon. We all
agree that the clear water released from the dam leads to erosion of
those critical features. But this is where the debate gets
muddled.
The studies clearly determined that we can, in fact,
rebuild beaches if the flows are timed to make use of sediment that
comes from tributary inflows. The studies also seem to indicate
that we need to look more closely at the frequency of those
flows. So, should we ignore these recent positive findings
because of the erosion issue -- or should we be encouraged that an
experiment successfully informed us that we can use sediment inputs in
a managed situation?
Over the past 10 years, we have tested; we have
tried procedures; we have operated for periods of time with an eye
towards discovering something unknown; we have pondered and tested
suppositions.
Through it all, we have continued to operate a
critically needed 1,320 megawatt power plant. Through it all, we
delivered water to meet legal compact requirements annually during the
worst drought in over 100 years of record keeping. Through it
all, we continued to provide assured flows that thousands of customers
who support the river running and fishing guide industry downstream of
the dam depend upon. Through it all, Lake Powell has continued to
provide millions of hours of rest and recreation to Americans of all
ages. Glen Canyon Dam serves as the Congress envisioned in 1956
when it passed the Colorado River Storage Project Act; moreover,
Reclamation operates this facility in full compliance with Congress’
direction in the 1992 Grand Canyon Protection Act.
As we begin a new phase of this adaptive management
program, I want to say that I am proud of Glen Canyon Dam and the men
and women of the Bureau of Reclamation who operate it. I am also
proud of the dedicated work of the federal advisory committee, the
Adaptive Management Working Group, proud of those who donate their time
and efforts to learning more about the river system, and of the
scientists who continually conduct the experiments that will, over
time, enable us to continue to better operate Glen Canyon Dam.
My pledge is that the Bureau of Reclamation and I
will continue to operate and maintain Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell
as Congress has directed and as the American people want.