WTF: High-Flow Experiment Uses Jet Tubes to Flush Grand Canyon
March 5th, 2008 by adminFederal agencies are gearing up to release a manmade flood aimed at refreshing the ecosystem of the Grand Canyon.
A three-day torrent of water will be released from Glen Canyon Dam on the Arizona-Utah state line beginning Wednesday morning.
The Colorado River in the Grand Canyon downstream from the dam used to be warm and muddy. But the dam now traps silt and the river runs cold and clear through the canyon. The shift has helped speed the extinction of four fish species.
The agencies including the Interior Department and Park Service hope the flooding will redistribute sediment in the canyon.