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(AP Photo/Paul Connors)
Bruce Lindsay reporting
An unusual and slightly controversial experiment took place today at the Glen Canyon Dam.
Giant jet tubes of water opened at the base of the dam, creating a man-made flood in the Grand Canyon.
Along with the surging river water came a rush of expectations from environmentalists and researchers involved in the project.
Caretakers of the Colorado River looked on today as members of the federal government released a man-made flood at the base of the Glen Canyon Dam.
Those invested in the project hope the 60-hour flood will help repair the Grand Canyon's ecosystem by churning up a river that turned cold and clear after the construction of the dam. "Today we are here to set the river free once again, and through this experiment, we hope to enhance the habitat in the canyon and its wildlife and learn more about these complex natural systems," said Dirk Kempthorne, Secretary of the Interior.
The goal of this particular experiment is to push sand built up in the riverbed into a series of sandbars and beaches along the river, restoring the natural habitats of some endangered species of fish.
"The working hypothesis for this flood is that more will be redistributed to the eddies over a wider section of the river," said Jack Schmidt, a USU watershed sciences professor.
This is the third high-flow test performed at the Glen Canyon Dam. Similar experiments took place in 1996 and 2004. Researchers say the information gathered from the previous floods helped them to develop a better design for this year. Schmidt said, "Each experiment has taught us a tremendous amount about what we should do next time, and we keep gradually tweaking and turning the knobs a little bit to try to get it a little bit more effective."
Still, some environmentalists say the high-flow tests need to happen more often. Nikolai Lash, with the Grand Canyon Trust, said, "If you do not do these experiments once every year or two, you lose the benefits of what you are doing."
The water will carry enough sediment to cover a football field with silt and sand 100 feet deep.
Water levels in the river will return to normal after a few days, and scientists should be able to determine the effectiveness of this year's experiment.
