Problems with Glen Canyon Dam Could Jeopardize Water Flowing to Western States
“We call this the biggest problem in the Colorado River basin,” said Zach Frankel, executive director of the Utah Rivers Council. “What is the chance Lake Powell drops below the hydropower turbine level in the next 10 years? If you ask me, I would say it’s almost guaranteed. We just had the biggest runoff in 40 years in the Colorado River basin a year ago. It’s only been a year since the biggest runoff in almost four decades and Lake Powell is still only at 32% capacity.”
The Bureau of Reclamation’s findings come after officials recently used the outlet works to deliver more water downstream, an effort to boost ecosystems and study the ecology and hydrology of the Colorado River. The outlet works experienced cavitation, which, according to the bureau, is a result of bubbles forming in high velocity flows that can damage or erode coatings, concrete and steel. Repairs could include adding a new epoxy lining to the outlet works, which the bureau has scheduled for later this year. Or even a river-level bypass system, which the Utah Rivers Council has advocated for, allowing water to flow around the dam.
“If we drop everything to solve it, the solution will still take 10 years to implement — so why are we procrastinating?” said Eric Balken, the executive director of Glen Canyon Institute.
The cavitation means the outlet works currently can’t sustain the volume of water required to pass through the dam and deliver the roughly 9 million acre-feet of water allocated to California, Arizona, Nevada and Mexico, should Lake Powell drop below 3,490 feet.
And if the lower basin doesn’t get its water, it could unravel an already tense situation in the drought-plagued region. Frankel said it could lead to litigation among states, the lower basin demanding the upper basin make substantial cuts, or a depletion of reservoirs in Utah and other upper basin states. The economic impact of not delivering water to the lower basin could have far-reaching ripple effects, possibly reducing agricultural production, impacting urban growth and damaging recreation.
“This is a big problem that 1 in 8 Americans needs to have resolved,” Frankel said.
Water managers from Colorado River basin states are currently working on new management plans ahead of 2026, when current guidelines are set to expire. The states have yet to reach an agreement, but Kyle Roerink, executive director of the Great Basin Water Network, said the issues identified at the Glen Canyon Dam should be a part of the planning process.
“The Bureau has procrastinated solving Glen Canyon Dam’s plumbing problems long enough. This urgent problem needs to be solved ASAP, during the current Interim Guideline process,” Roerink said in a statement.
Kyle Dunphey covers politics, public safety and the environment for Utah News Dispatch. This story first appeared in the Utah News Dispatch. Utah News Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, a national nonprofit news organization. The article was republished in Stateline. Read more Stateline coverage of how communities across the West are grappling with drought that’s worsening because of climate change.
