[Awclist] [Fwd: RRFW Riverwire - New EIS Underway for Glen Canyon Dam]

[Thomas Robey]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	RRFW Riverwire - New EIS Underway for Glen Canyon Dam
Date: 	Sun, 11 Feb 2007 20:12:52 -0700
From: 	Riverwire <riverwire at rrfw.org>
Organization: 	River Runners for Wilderness
To: 	<Riverwire at rrfw.org>



*RRFW Riverwire - New EIS Underway for **Glen** Canyon** Dam*

*February 11, 2007*

In an attempt to comply with a settlement agreement reached last 
September between environmental groups and the Department of Interior, 
the Bureau of Reclamation has begun the scoping process for an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the operations of Glen Canyon 
Dam called the Long-Term Experimental Plan.

According to John Weisheit of the Utah-based river restoration group 
Living Rivers, the world-renowned Colorado River ecosystem in Grand 
Canyon National Park has been deteriorating for more than four decades 
due to the upstream operations of the 700-foot-high Glen Canyon Dam. 
Beaches, endangered native fish and archeological sites have all 
disappeared as cold, nutrient-depleted water is released at the whims of 
dam operators on a daily basis, replacing the gradual seasonal 
fluctuations consistent with the Colorado River's natural hydrology. 
Within ten years after the dam's completion, strong public outcry forced 
the Bureau of Reclamation (BoR) to begin exploring mechanisms to alter 
Glen Canyon Dam's operations to reverse its detrimental effects on Grand 
Canyon National Park.

“As presently conceived, this EIS will deliver nothing more than a 
continuation of studying Grand Canyon to death” notes Weisheit, who 
points directly to Reclamation as the cause of the damage. “Despite 
hundreds of millions of dollars invested, major studies completed, and 
new laws enacted by Congress, Reclamation has continued to drag its 
feet, citing an ongoing need for even more studies.” As proof of the 
critical situation, Weisheit is quick to point out that four of eight 
native fish species have gone extinct, otters and muskrats have 
disappeared, and the riparian ecology has been dramatically 
altered--from the river's native food web to the proliferation of 
non-native plants throughout the canyon.

According to Weisheit, there already exists an abundance of scientific 
understanding regarding how dam operations must change, much of from the 
first Glen Canyon Dam EIS completed in 1995, if Grand Canyon's river 
ecosystem is to be protected, The problem, according to Weisheit, is 
that these recommendations are not being followed by the stakeholder 
group put in charge of implementing the regulations, under the auspices 
of the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program.

Dominated by water and power interests, the Adaptive Management 
Workgroup, as a committee of advisors to the Secretary of the Interior, 
has continuously sidestepped its directives as outlined in the 1995 EIS. 
Weisheit is critical of a new study while the earlier studies 
recommendations go unheeded. “They have failed to follow the earlier EIS 
recommendations to develop a recovery plan for the endangered razorback 
sucker or establish a second population of the endangered humpback chub, 
failed to augment the water temperature or to restore sediment, and 
failed to implement river flows consistent with the river's natural 
hydrograph.”

*What You Can Do!*

It’s time to send a quick e-mail, letter or fax to the Bureau of 
Reclamation with your comments on the Long Term Experimental Plan for 
the Future Operations of Glen Canyon Dam.

Below are some of the issues you might mention. Remember, for your 
comments to have more weight, you should re-write the points below in 
your own words.

Express your dismay with the Department of Interior's mishandling of the 
recovery efforts for the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park 
over the past 40 years.

Demand that any new EIS must have a clear purpose and commitment to 
implement recovery of native species, sediment augmentation, temperature 
modification and restoration of the natural hydrograph.

Ask that the USGS Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center and all 
other agencies/researchers avoid using motorized watercraft for the 
gathering of field data during Grand Canyon National Park’s annual 
Colorado River motor-free period October through March.

Make it clear that the principal objective should not be the long-term 
operation of Glen Canyon Dam, but the implementation of the ingredients 
necessary to bring about the recovery and preservation of endangered 
species within the Colorado River corridor of Grand Canyon National Park.

Ask that the no-dam alternative be evaluated as one means of achieving 
the restoration of the natural process necessary for the recovery and 
preservation of endangered species in Grand Canyon's river corridor.

Let Reclamation know that restoration must include:

-The return of river flows consistent with the Colorado River’s natural 
discharge into Grand Canyon.

-The re-establishment of a water temperature regime consistent with 
seasonal temperature variations of the Colorado River in Grand Canyon.

-The re-establishment of sediment inputs into Grand Canyon consistent 
with the amount that would be received in a dam-free environment.

-The elimination of non-native species, which have taken hold in the 
artificial riverine environment created by Glen Canyon Dam operations.

Finally, mention that the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program 
(AMP) be replaced by an open source and independent body of research and 
advisory scientists, where the monitoring and research data are 
consistently and thoroughly peer-reviewed prior to formulating any 
recommendations to the Secretary of Interior.

Submit your comments on or before Tuesday, February 28, 2007

To send via email: GCDExpPlan at uc.usbr.gov <mailto:GCDExpPlan at uc.usbr.gov>

To send via fax: (801) 524-3858

To send by mail:

Mr. Rick Gold
Regional Director, Bureau of Reclamation
Upper Colorado Region
Attn: UC-402
125 South State Street
Salt Lake City, Utah 84138-1147

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RIVERWIRE is a free service to the community of river lovers from River 
Runners for Wilderness. Sign up your friends and family! Send an e-mail 
address to riverwire at rrfw.org <mailto:riverwire at rrfw.org> and we'll add 
it to the RRFW RIVERWIRE e-mail alerts list. Join RRFW’s listserver to 
stay abreast of and participate in the latest river issues. It’s as easy 
as sending a blank e-mail to 
Rafting_Grand_Canyon-subscribe at yahoogroups.com 
<mailto:Rafting_Grand_Canyon-subscribe at yahoogroups.com>. Check out our 
new items and donate at RRFW Store <http://www.rrfw.org/store.php>! RRFW 
is a project of Living Rivers. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~