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Show Hingkley Journal of Politics 2005 could rely on the stored water in Lake Mead during times of drought rather than Lake Powell (Peterson 2005). While this would dramatically decrease the amount of stored water in open reservoirs, Peterson continues, it could be offset by storage in underground aquifers which would also address the problem of evaporative loss (2005). Furthermore, Peterson argues, when the upper basin has finally begun using its full allotment, then there will be no extra water to store in Lake Powell anyway. So in drought conditions, the upper basin would still be required to curtail its use despite Lake Powell (2005). Second, the GCI, asserts that Lake Powell looses nearly 860,000 maf of water per year due to evaporation and ground seepage (GCI "Frequently Asked Questions" n.d.). This, it claims, is nearly enough to supply Los Angeles for a full year (GCI "Frequently Asked Questions" n.d.). While it is true that a substantial amount of water is lost by evaporation, this is simply the nature of storing water in the desert, counters Bird. She contends that given the deep and narrow nature of the canyon and its high altitude, it loses much less water than is, or would be, lost, in other desert locations including Lake Mead (Bird, 2005). Third, the GCI claims that the dam is placing serious pressure on lower basin habitat for native fish and wildlife and has resulted in the listing of four native fish species as endangered including the humpback chub (GCI 2000, 9). While this fact is not seriously contested, Bird points out that efforts to mitigate and recover endangered habitat by groups like the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program are largely funded by revenues generated by the sale of hydropower from the dam (2005). Without such power revenue, or alternate source of funding, these programs are likely to be substantially undermined. Here again, the GCI contends that such recovery efforts would not be nearly as critical if the river were allowed to run unimpeded through Glen Canyon. Finally, the GCI claims that given the rate of sedimentation behind the dam, it will likely expire much sooner than anticipated. It claims that nearly 100 million tons of sediment are deposited behind Glen Canyon dam each year (GCI "Sediment" n.d.). This sediment is slowly creeping its way up the back of the dam. The GCI predicts that within 150 years, sediment will have reached the height of the penstocks (which allow water to pass through the dam and its turbines creating electricity) rendering them useless (GCI "Sediment" n.d.). Bird contends however that the sediment could simply pass through the four bypass tubes located 96 feet below the penstocks therefore preserving, albeit somewhat decreasing, the dam's ability to generate electricity (2005). Moreover, if the sediment is not trapped by Glen Canyon Dam it would simply get trapped behind Hoover Dam thereby reducing its lifespan. Furthermore, many wonder what can be done with millions of tons of sediment which, in all likelihood, is highly contaminated with hydrocarbons, solvents and other pollu- tants that are the byproduct of years of motorized recreation if the dam were ever decommissioned. These are the arguments and controversies that are the result of the scientific approach that the GCI has taken. However, as time passes, the group is taking an increasingly more active role in promoting its normative claims about the value of decommissioning the dam as well. Speaking of the awesome nature of terrain of Glen Canyon-much of which is beginning to reveal itself as the lake level drops due to the current drought-Chris Peterson recently said in an interview, "Glen Canyon needs to be preserved. It is too special a place to store water in" (2005). Over 2000 archeological sites were identified in Glen Canyon before it was flooded (GCI "Citizens' Environmental Assessment" [CEA] 2000, 16). Many of the surrounding Native Americans, including the Hopi and Navajo, believe places like Rainbow Bridge are sacred and have been desecrated by the flooding of Glen Canyon (GCI CEA 2000, 16). While it is unlikely that anyone would contest that Glen Canyon is an inspiring place, many assert that Lake Powell is equally as valuable. Indeed, Wallace Stegner himself, while politely condemning the dam, acknowledged the magnificence of the lake when he said, "Lake Powell is beautiful.... [T]he contact of deep blue water and uncompromising stone is bizarre and somehow exciting" (Farmer 1999, 171). Friends of Lake Powell cite the enormous benefit Lake Powell is to the economy of Page, Arizona (FLP "Facts" 2004). Motorized recreation on the lake and trout fishing below it draw millions of tourists a year to this area (FLP "Facts" 2004). Decommissioning, FLP claims, would decimate this economy (FLP "Facts" 2004). The GCI is not so convinced. They cite the tremendous amount of non-motorized tourism drawn to the Grand Canyon each year (Peterson 2004b). Rafting on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon is so popular, that finally making it off the waiting list for a permit normally takes more than a decade (Grand Canyon NPS 2005). The GCI projects that with enough publicity, tourists interested in hiking, rafting, kayaking and exploring will be drawn to the area, therefore offsetting the loss from the absence of motorized recreation. In this vein, the GCI has sought to advance its agenda by leading annual trips to Glen Canyon where it educates people about the impacts of the dam and the beauty of the canyon. It does this by giving guided hiking trips throughout some of Glen Canyon's most impressive destinations. More than perhaps any other one factor, Peterson says, "mother nature" may be the ultimate force in emptying the lake. After several years of severe drought, the lake level right now in Glen Canyon is below 40 percent of normal (Peterson 2005). "Mother nature is draining the lake," he says. And the GCI aims to take advantage of that. They are making use of low water levels by showing visitors what the canyon was like before the dam. GCI's hope is that enough people will experience the canyon at low lake levels so that in wetter years, 19 |
