Navajo Canyon Closed. In wetter years, the Bureau of Reclamation may decide to release extra water from Glen Canyon Dam if the level of Lake Powell exceeds the "equalization tier", an elevation determined by the difference in storage between Lake Powell and Lake Mead. If some Senator was causing him trouble, money for his project could disappear mighty fast. "[7], The proposal for Glen Canyon Dam was most vocally supported by the state of Arizona, which wished to get Colorado River water to Phoenix and Tucson, located hundreds of miles away from the Colorado in the center of the state. Photographic opportunities abound. [5], Because of fluctuating demands on the electrical grid, the dam release into the Colorado River rises and falls dramatically on a daily basis. The Upper Basin states, whose rivers remained undammed, had no way to ensure they could fulfill their delivery obligation to the Lower Basin state while retaining enough water for their own use. [61] The Museum of Northern Arizona funded an expedition by William Miller and Helmut Abt, in coordination with the Navajo Nation, to investigate historical artifacts. [72][136] The power plant has a total capacity of 1,320 megawatts from eight 165,000 kilowatt generators. Other lake activities include swimming, fishing, scuba diving, snorkeling, water skiing, hiking and sightseeing. [151] The river water temperature in 1983 was significantly higher than normal, due to a large portion of the water having come from overflows of warmer surface water over the spillways of Glen Canyon Dam, rather than the colder lower levels which feed the penstocks. [31] In addition to the proposed diversion of the Trinity River in Northern California, Marc Reisner wrote in Cadillac Desert that "in the Pacific Northwest there was a lot of suspicion that the Pacific Southwest Water Plan was merely a smokescreen for a much larger plan, long a gleam in the Colorado Basin's eye, to tap the Columbia River. [71] Construction would ultimately claim eighteen lives and injure numerous other workers, but contrary to popular myth, no workers were buried alive in the concrete. After the dam was completed in 1964, there were few restrictions on hydro-power generation. "[103] On March 21, 1981, the radical environmental group Earth First! The surface area of sandbars had been increased, but much of the material had been eroded from the submerged portions of the bars and deposited on top, making them unstable, rather than scoured from the riverbed as hoped. [102] The novel gained a cult following after its publication and established Glen Canyon Dam as a poster child of environmental destruction caused by dams. In 2014 an intentional "pulse flow" was released into the delta to restore some of these wetlands; however the viability of such flows have been controversial, considering the already high demand for Colorado River water. A huge reservoir, absolutely not needed in this century, almost certainly not needed in the next, and conceivably never to be needed at all, began to fill." [72] Cement needed to make concrete for the dam came from the Phoenix Cement Company plant constructed for the purpose in Clarkdale, south of Flagstaff. [86], During the El Niño winter of 1982–1983, the Bureau of Reclamation predicted an average runoff for the Colorado River basin based on snowpack measurements in the Rocky Mountains. )[86], Like all dams, Glen Canyon traps sediment (silt), but because the Colorado is an especially muddy river, the dam has posed even more visible consequences for the river within the Grand Canyon. Dominy realized that the USBR had considerable political clout in Western states, due to the economic contributions of its water projects. "[48], Emboldened by Echo Park and desperate to prevent the Grand Canyon from reaching the same fate as Glen, Brower and the Sierra Club directed attention towards the proposed Bridge and Marble dams. [152] Because Glen Canyon Dam made possible an increased utilization of water from the Colorado River system, not enough water is left to flow to the delta in a normal year, and about 3,000 square miles (7,800 km2) of ecologically productive wetlands have disappeared. [167][168] The base of the dam can also be reached via boat from Lee's Ferry. [54] Because of the hundreds of bays and sinuous side canyons, including those formed by the San Juan, Escalante and Dirty Devil Rivers, Lake Powell has an exceptionally long shoreline for a lake of its size – about 1,960 miles (3,150 km) at full pool, longer than the entire west coast of the continental United States. First year we went plenty of water under rainbow bridge. Glen Canyon Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam on the Colorado River in northern Arizona, United States, near the town of Page. ", "Grand Canyon & Glen Canyon Dam: The Basics", "Deciding About the Colorado River Delta", "Historic "Pulse Flow" Brings Water to Parched Colorado River Delta", "Balancing a Complex Set of Interests: Glen Canyon Dam and Adaptive Management", "Controlled Flood: Can Large Releases of Water Restore Habitats in Grand Canyon? [38] A common misconception is that the environmentalists were given a choice between damming Echo Park and damming Glen Canyon, but the USBR "had always planned to build a dam at Glen Canyon, regardless of the outcome of the Echo Park debate". [15], In 1922, six U.S. states signed the Colorado River Compact to officially allocate the flow of the Colorado River and its tributaries. The fastest and easiest way to book reservations is through our online booking engine. The highest was 8,703 GWh in 1984, and the lowest was 3,299 GWh in 2005. Our location is ideal for exploring many of the American Southwest's renowned national parks and monuments, and discovering the unique culture of the Navajo Nation. Mussels are most commonly transferred from lake to lake attached to the hulls, and inside the bilge area of boats. [149], According to the U.S. National Park Service, Lake Powell is "widely recognized by boating enthusiasts as one of the premier water-based recreation destinations in the world. On August 12, the left spillway gates were opened, releasing water at a rate of 50,000 cubic feet per second (1,400 m3/s). Glen Canyon Dam must supply at least 8.23 million acre feet (10.15 km3) of this water; the remaining 770,000 acre feet (0.95 km3) comes from other tributaries of the Colorado River. [154] The flow appeared to have scoured clean numerous pockets of encroaching vegetation, carried away rockslides that had become dangerous to boaters, and rearranged sand and gravel bars along the river, and was initially believed to be an environmental success. An accurate forecast is vital to prevent uncontrolled spilling, which would waste water that could have been used for power generation. | Bullfrog Marina main launch ramp closed, learn more. [3] The dam is named for Glen Canyon, a series of deep sandstone gorges now flooded by the reservoir; Lake Powell is named for John Wesley Powell, who in 1869 led the first expedition to traverse the Colorado's Grand Canyon by boat. If you have specific questions about your visit to Glen Canyon NRA, you may call 928-608-6200 or email them to: e-mail us. [72][84] However, according to a 2013 study by hydrologist Thomas Myers for the Glen Canyon Institute, the reservoir continues to lose about 380,000 acre feet (0.47 km3) each year due to leakage. "[33], In the face of public scrutiny, and wishing to avoid more questions about the Colorado River Storage Project as a whole, the Bureau of Reclamation dropped the Echo Park proposal in 1954. The spillway tunnels were excavated around both abutments of the dam, dropping steeply from their control gates on Lake Powell to merge with the lower ends of the diversion tunnels. [162] About 85,000 people per year travel via boat to Rainbow Bridge in Utah, a large natural arch once very hard to access, but now easily reachable because one of the arms of the reservoir extends near it. [7] During years of drought, Glen Canyon guarantees a water delivery to the Lower Basin states, without the need for rationing in the Upper Basin. The grass was later planted to prevent the dirt from getting blown away – but also provides a mild cooling effect through evapotranspiration, reducing temperatures inside the power plant. [95][96], Long after the Glen Canyon Dam was built and continuing to the present day, controversy remains between supporters of dam removal and those who believe it should be left in place. [55] When finished, the steel arch Glen Canyon Bridge was itself a marvel of engineering: at 1,271 feet (387 m) long and rising 700 feet (210 m) above the river, it was the highest bridge of its kind in the United States and one of the highest in the world. The original plan was to fill Lake Powell to 3,490 feet (1,060 m) above sea level, the minimum level necessary to generate hydroelectric power by late 1964, after which water would be released down to Lake Mead, with only the excess stored in Lake Powell. "[32], —Marc Reisner, Cadillac Desert (1986)[33], The Echo Park dam would be inside the federally protected Dinosaur National Monument and would submerge 110 miles (180 km) of scenic canyons – a move that alarmed environmentalists. Prepared campgrounds can be found at each marina, but many visitors choose to rent a houseboat or bring their own camping equipment, find a private spot somewhere in the canyons, and make their own camp (there are no restrictions on where visitors can stay). [65] Drilling the tunnels through the porous Navajo sandstone abutting the dam site posed major problems for the excavation crews of the Mountain States Construction Company, which won the contract for the diversion tunnels in 1956. The repairs, in which air slots were installed to prevent cavitation shock waves, cost about $15 million. [166] The Bureau of Reclamation provides guided tours of the dam; stringent security measures have been in place since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Each of the tunnels was 41 feet (12 m) in diameter, with a combined capacity of 200,000 cubic feet per second (5,700 m3/s); the right-side tunnel was 2,740 feet (840 m) long and the left 2,900 feet (880 m). WAHWEAP MARINA and ANTELOPE POINT MARINA – There are two marinas, both offering swimming, boating, jet skiing, and houseboat rentals for those who want to spend time on the Lake. This 6-hour tour will show you the majesty of Lake Powell from the most intimate and personal perspective: by boat. We are redefining the guest experience to meet safety guidelines while maximizing your vacation. [110][111], Lake Powell and Lake Mead are currently operated under an "equalization" policy that governs releases from Glen Canyon Dam. A dam in Glen Canyon was studied as early as 1924, but these plans were initially dropped in favor of the Hoover Dam (completed in 1936) which was located in the Black Canyon. The Sierra Club launched an extensive publicity campaign to sway public opinion against the plan; in response to the USBR's argument that new reservoirs would open up the Grand Canyon to recreational boaters as Lake Powell had, a full-page advertisement in the New York Times ran the slogan: "Should we also flood the Sistine Chapel so tourists can float nearer the ceiling? The March 1959 issue of LIFE reported that "motorists [were] driving miles out of their way just to be thrilled by its dizzying height. [6], Between 1980 and 2013, Glen Canyon Dam generated an average of 4,717 gigawatt hours (GWh) per year, enough for about 400,000 homes. [54] On that day, David Brower confronted President John F. Kennedy in a last-ditch effort to delay Glen Canyon's inundation. Daily housekeeping service is not available, however, if you need anything during your stay to please contact the front desk. The upper cofferdam was 168 feet (51 m) high, and it alone could store several million acre-feet of water to protect the dam site from flooding in the event that inflows exceeded the capacity of the diversion tunnels. [54] The circular, concrete-lined spillway tunnels plunge at a 55-degree angle, reducing in diameter from 48 to 41 feet (15 to 12 m), until they intersect with the old river diversion tunnels at sharp elbow joints before returning to the Colorado River. [157] Subsequent releases in 2004, 2008,[158] 2012,[159] and 2014[160] were timed to take advantage of summer monsoon storms, and redistribute sediment carried into the Grand Canyon by the Paria and Little Colorado Rivers. ", "Fill Mead First: A Common Sense Solution for the Colorado River", "Talking Points against the Fill Lake Mead First Proposal", "USGS Gage #09380000 on the Colorado River at Lee's Ferry, AZ", "Critical to Arizona's Water Future: Fixing Lake Mead's Structural Deficit", "50 years later, Glen Canyon Dam still controversial", "Use of hydroelectric dams to control evaporation and salinity in the Colorado River system", "The Bureau showed the Right Stuff: How Lake Powell almost broke free of Glen Canyon Dam this summer", "Colorado River System Facilities and Current River System Operations From Lake Powell to SIB", "Criteria for Coordinated Long-Range Operation of Colorado River Reservoirs Pursuant to the Colorado River Basin Project Act of September 30, 1968 (P.L. The engineers wanted the dam to rely predominantly on its arch shape to carry the tremendous pressure of the impounded water into the canyon walls instead of depending on the sheer weight of the structure to hold the reservoir back, as had been done at Hoover. In 1904, the Colorado River was accidentally redirected after it damaged a canal gate in Mexico, causing the river to flood part of California's Imperial Valley and create the Salton Sea. As more efficient methods of concrete pouring were installed, including conveyors and remotely controlled buckets, the workforce gradually decreased. The heavily used Wahweap and Antelope Point Marinas are located in Arizona, close to Page. The dependable natural flow past Lees Ferry is now believed to be about 13.5 to 14.6 million acre feet (16.7 to 18.0 km3). He further described that during the record post-dam high-flow season of 1983 (mentioned above), there was only one boating fatality in the canyon, providing a strong challenge to views that the dam, by reducing and mediating river flows, increases the safety of canyon river users. [5] The units were installed between September 1964 and February 1966 at an original rating of 950 megawatts; an upgrade project between 1985 and 1997 brought it to its present capacity. A plan called "Fill Mead First", which would drain Lake Powell in order to refill Lake Mead, has gained traction in recent years. [90] Even this additional capacity was exhausted; discharges through the left spillway reached 32,000 cubic feet per second (910 m3/s), and the right spillway was opened to 15,000 cubic feet per second (420 m3/s). However, their impact on the lake ecology appears to be low, or even beneficial due to their providing a food source for fish.[174]. Location of Glen Canyon Dam in the western U.S. ... Echo Park was a pure indulgence in the most austere of deserts. Abbey's book is discussed in Ecospeak: Rhetoric and Environmental Politics in America (1992) by Jimmie Killingsworth and Jacqueline Palmer, who write that Glen Canyon Dam became "the big symbol of all that blocked freedom in the interests of civilized progress. It is the second-biggest producer of hydroelectric power in the Southwestern United States, after Hoover Dam. After his groundbreaking 1869 expedition, John Wesley Powell had named Glen Canyon for its characteristics: "So we have a curious ensemble of wonderful features – carved walls, royal arches, glens, alcove gulches, mounds and monuments. [25] But most importantly, Hoover only controlled the lower portion of the river. [155][156], Crews working in the Grand Canyon after the 1996 experiment found that the offensive vegetation had not been carried away as previously thought – only buried – and had mostly recovered within six months. Air slots were installed at the bottom of each spillway to break up and absorb the shock of the bubbles formed by cavitation. [55] It was intended to serve a maximum population of eight thousand, accounting for the workers' families; the peak workforce would eventually exceed 2,500 in the busiest phases of construction. The contract for building the bridge was awarded to Peter Kiewit Sons and the Judson Pacific Murphy Co. for $4 million and construction began in late 1956, reaching completion on August 11, 1957. [75] Work on the power plant and spillways began directly after the dam wall was complete. It looked as if they [Merritt-Chapman & Scott] were going to start losing money before they dropped a single man with a three-dollar shovel into that canyon. [17] The third lower basin state, Arizona, did not ratify the Compact until 1944 because it was concerned that California might seek to appropriate a portion of its share before it could be put to use. [28][29] The state of California opposed the project, as it would eliminate the "surplus" water in the Colorado (really the Upper Basin's yet unused supplies) it had gotten accustomed to using. Even use to jump off the cliff and swim underneath. The dam also serves as a primary peaking power plant and black start power source for the Southwest electrical grid. The Glen Canyon Institute estimates that 860,000 acre feet (1.06 km3) is lost from the reservoir in an average year. The gross hydraulic head is 510 feet (160 m). Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas, managed by Aramark,is an authorized concessioner of the National Park Service,Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Vehicles had to make a 225-mile (362 km) journey in order to get from one side of the canyon to the other. Powerboat, Watercraft & Jet Ski Rentals. On April 1 of each year, the Bureau of Reclamation releases its official forecast of the April–July (snowmelt season) runoff, and adjusts releases from Glen Canyon Dam accordingly to maintain Lake Powell at a safe level. [142] This amounts to 6 percent of the Colorado River's flow, an increasingly valuable amount of water in an arid land for both humans and the animals and plants that live along the river. Our friendly community offers visitors outstanding recreation and a wide variety of lodging and services. When the gates of the dam were closed in 1963, the resulting reductions in river flow effectively dried up the Colorado River Delta, the large estuary formed by the Colorado River at the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez) in Mexico. Construction of the Storage Project, and allowing the Upper Basin to develop its water supplies, would tip the whole Colorado River system toward a structural water deficit, due to the fact that the Colorado River's average flow is less than what was apportioned in the 1922 Compact. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area National Park Service, National Park Service Pubic Health Update Webpage, Please note: All individuals over the age of two years must wear masks in indoor common areas and shared workspaces and in outdoor areas where physical distancing cannot be reasonably maintained. Option 2 – 7:00 AM: Check in for the Lake Powell & Rainbow Bridge Boat Tour at Lake Powell (formerly known as “Wahweap”) Marina. Initially, transport was done by barge from Wahweap Creek, but the fast current of the Colorado River could be dangerous. Together, the spillways can pass up to 208,000 cubic feet per second (5,900 m3/s). This was done as a cost-saving measure, but resulted in the destruction of both spillways during the 1983 flood releases. [54][63] The right tunnel would be used for carrying the Colorado's normal flow around the dam site, while the left tunnel, 33 feet (10 m) above the water, would only be used during floods. Glen Canyon Dam generates enough power to offset 6.7 billion pounds (3 billion kg) of carbon dioxide emissions each year. The crest of the dam is 1,560 feet (480 m) long and 25 feet (7.6 m) wide, while the maximum thickness of the base is 300 feet (91 m). However, even as construction began on the other the dams, the USBR was faced with more controversy; the "David and Goliath" drama of the Echo Park debate had shifted the American public's perception on big government projects and their environmental consequences. [79] In March, Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall ordered the filling halted and extra releases made to Lake Mead, to the consternation of the Upper Basin states. Exactly how much of this water has potential to return to the reservoir, and how much "disappears" into the ground, is subject to debate. Other than a brief test in 1980, this was the only time the spillways had ever been used. [31] To make up for this deficit, the USBR incorporated these proposals with the "Pacific Southwest Water Plan" on January 21, 1964, in which power sales from Glen, Marble and Bridge (often called "cash register dams") would be used to fund a diversion of water from the wetter Pacific Northwest to the Colorado Basin. [60], Prior to and during construction, three separate grants were issued by the National Park Service to document and recover artifacts of historical cultures along the river. [78], With a capacity equal to almost two years' annual flow of the Colorado River, engineers were aware that Lake Powell would be difficult to fill, but more problems were encountered than expected. [141], Because of its tremendous ecological effect on the Colorado River, the Glen Canyon Dam has been subject to decades of criticism from the environmental movement. [8] Activities include boating, fishing, waterskiing, jet-skiing, swimming and hiking. [145], The Colorado through Grand Canyon now lacks the source of sediment it needs to build sandbars and islands, and these natural fluvial formations within the canyon have now suffered severe damage from erosion. Glen Canyon Dam would remain in place (as total removal of the structure would be prohibitively expensive), but would only store water in wet seasons when runoff exceeds the capacity of Lake Mead to hold it. This resulted in the town of Page, Arizona, named for former Reclamation Commissioner John C. Page. [139] However, drought conditions in the 21st century have reduced the amount of hydropower available from Glen Canyon Dam. In December 1959, wages were raised by $4 a day, quelling the strikers. This is a trip of its own. In 1962 the workforce topped out at nearly 2,500 employees laboring on the dam. Resumes July 15 with a limited schedule. The contract was given to the Merritt-Chapman & Scott Corporation for an "astoundingly low" $107,955,552, about $30 million less than USBR's own estimate. [85], The Bureau of Reclamation projected that once Lake Powell filled, the total bank storage would stabilize at approximately 6 million acre feet (7.4 km3), and henceforth would fluctuate depending on water levels in the reservoir. Many of these projects had dubious economic justifications and hidden environmental costs, but the government agencies that built them – namely the Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – were more interested in maintaining their size and influence. Being located in a high desert climate amid porous geology, Lake Powell causes huge evaporation and seepage losses. [89], Meanwhile, snow continued melting in the Rockies and Lake Powell continued to rise rapidly. So a steel gate dropped, choking off the flow of the canyon's carotid artery, and from that moment the canyon's life force ebbed quickly. The site originally favored by the USBR was just 4 miles (6.4 km) upstream, but the final decision was to build the dam 16.5 miles (26.6 km) upstream because of stronger foundation rock and easier access to gravel deposits on Wahweap Creek. Reisner writes that "in the West, it is said, water flows uphill towards money. The Sierra Club lost its IRS tax-exempt status a day after the advertisement was released; ostensibly, this was due to its disruptive political activities. [69] Then, right before construction began, about 750 workers organized a strike because of a wage reduction due to the completion of public facilities at Page. [153], On March 26, 1996, the penstocks and two of the outlet works' bypass tubes at Glen Canyon Dam were opened to maximum capacity, causing a flood of 45,000 cubic feet per second (1,300 m3/s) to move down the Colorado River. [26] The 1956 Colorado River Storage Project Act authorized the purposes of "regulating the flow of the Colorado River, storing water for beneficial consumptive use, providing for reclamation of arid and semi-arid lands, providing flood control, and generating hydropower. In total, the dam contains 5,370,000 cubic yards (4,110,000 m3) of concrete[2] and 28,900,000 pounds (13,100,000 kg) of reinforcing steel. [6] The long and winding Lake Powell, known for its scenic beauty and recreational opportunities including houseboating, fishing and water-skiing, attracts millions of tourists each year to the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.[8]. Find out more >. [7], To provide water for the Upper Basin and ensure delivery to the Lower Basin, the Bureau of Reclamation proposed the Colorado River Storage Project, which would consist of a dam on the Colorado River at Glen Canyon, several dams on the Gunnison River and San Juan River, and a pair of dams to be built on the Green River, the Colorado's major upper tributary, at Echo Park and Split Mountain. By mid-June, water was pouring into Lake Powell at over 120,000 cubic feet per second (3,400 m3/s). [65] It took two more years to complete all remaining aspects of the project.