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Speaking of dams...


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#1 Guest_mikez_*

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Posted 06 March 2008 - 01:33 PM

I saw on the news last night that they are releasing huge amounts of water from lake Powell in an effort to move sand downstream through the Grand Canyon. Supposedly that will benifit humpbacked chub. How, the news story didn't make clear.
Anybody here close to that story at all?
To me it sounds kinda like PR move that will give arm chair environmentalists a warm feeling but probably not accomplish much. Hopefully I'm wrong.
I know one thing, I sure would like to walk the river bank looking for arrow heads after the water receeds! Only for find and release of course.

#2 Guest_ashtonmj_*

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Posted 06 March 2008 - 02:50 PM

Mirroing natural flood pulses on the Colorado River has been proposed for years now, honestly I thought they had been doing it for a while already.

I'm not surprised any news story didn't mention details as to why it was done or how it will accomplish the proposed benefits, etc. Is the reproductive ecology of a nongame fish that interesting to the general public enough to add another paragraph to a AP or wire story?

#3 Guest_fundulus_*

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Posted 06 March 2008 - 03:39 PM

There was a good story this morning on NPR about the flood pulsing in the Grand Canyon. The Bureau of Reclamation wants to do more studies, of course, before doing this on a more regular basis, especially because it costs them $3 million per episode. But apparently it's been done 4 times in the last 4 or 5 years. The superintendent of the Grand Canyon national park was very emphatic that he wants it done, for all the right reasons, so my respect goes up. He rightly pointed out that it's the only way to maintain the Canyon in anything like it's original condition, and maintain many native species, especially fishes.

#4 Guest_mikez_*

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Posted 06 March 2008 - 07:48 PM

Mirroing natural flood pulses on the Colorado River has been proposed for years now, honestly I thought they had been doing it for a while already.

I'm not surprised any news story didn't mention details as to why it was done or how it will accomplish the proposed benefits, etc. Is the reproductive ecology of a nongame fish that interesting to the general public enough to add another paragraph to a AP or wire story?


Well I researched a bit. Seems like the CBS story may have been lite on details because the whole thing is a bit of a political hot potato. Some harsh words flying back and forth between different camps.
The idea is that slack water created by sand bars are needed for the chubs to spawn. The water released from the dam washed sand from Lake Powell down the canyon where it should form bars.
Controversy comes from two directions.
One says they're wasting millions of dollars worth of potential hydroelectric power for the sake of a fish that's not even a game fish. I saw it called the snail darter of the 21st century.
The other side says it's a farce because it doesn't do enough. Supposedly there are studies the government is ignoring that outline what is needed for the chub to survive. The few releases of water will not be enough.
I guess it's better than nothing. At least they're making an effort.

#5 Guest_scottefontay_*

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Posted 07 March 2008 - 08:01 AM

This reminds me of the Owen's River Gorge on the east side of the Sierra Nevada Mtns. in CA. A dam was constructed as part of a hydroelectric project in 1941, the water was then piped via aquaduct to southern CA. In 1991 the pipe ruptured returning water flows to the lower gorge (some amazing rock climbing in there BTW). Trout were discovered (probably a NANFA release 8-) ) so under the current envirionmental laws flows had to be maintained. I was climbing down there and talking to a fisherman, he said that they push ~33 cfs all year and simulate the spring flood with a 600 cfs pulse (I don't know for how long).



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