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As the Bureau of Reclamation works toward a 2026 plan for managing the Colorado River, a scenario that has long been favored by environmental advocates but dismissed as impossible is now being discussed across the West: draining Lake Powell and returning Glen Canyon to its natural state.
Last week, two high-profile California farmers from the powerful Imperial Valley formally requested a study on decommissioning Glen Canyon Dam—letting the Colorado River flow straight into the Grand Canyon and on to Lake Mead, which is barely one-third full after years of drought and over-use.
“Past proposals by environmental groups to decommission Glen Canyon Dam or to operate the reservoir without power production as a primary goal can no longer be ignored and must be seriously considered,” Michael and James Abattis wrote. “The evaporative losses occurring in Lake Powell are significant, given the demands on the Colorado River system, and must be taken into account.”
The Arizona Daily Star reports that water agencies from the lower basin states of Arizona, Nevada, and California are urging the Bureau of Reclamation to study modifications to Glen Canyon Dam so it can avoid “deadpool,” a scenario in which water levels drop so low the dam can no longer generate electricity or release water.
The fact that major water users are now encouraging the government to consider significant changes to the Colorado River system is a “huge game changer,” according to retired Utah State University professor Jack Schmidt, who led the university's Center for Colorado River Studies.
“The paradigm of the American West has always been the maintenance of the facilities that were constructed” on the river, said Schmidt. “It was considered complete heresy and no one in the water supply community would have ever have acknowledged or accepted the notion of decommissioning the dam.”
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These playas weren’t formed in a day. If they get torn up, they may restore themselves, but it may take a while. It’s going to be a real challenge to assess what those impacts are going to be and what the best way to mitigate it is.”
