11-21-2004, 02:25 PM
[size 1]Friday, November 19, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal [/size]
[font "verdana,arial"][size 4]Water release to boost lake level[/size][/font]
[font "verdana,arial"][size 2]Government plans experiment with Colorado River flow[/size][/font][url "http://www.reviewjournal.com/about/print/rjstaff.html#City%20Desk"][size 1]By SAMANTHA YOUNG
STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU [/b]
[/b][/size][/url] [font "Verdana, Arial"][size 1][/size][/font]
[/b]WASHINGTON -- Water levels in drought-reduced Lake Mead would be boosted by 2 1/2 feet this month under a government plan to open valves upriver at Glen Canyon Dam, Interior Secretary Gale Norton and other officials said Thursday.
An estimated 340,800 acre-feet will be released from Lake Powell in an experiment to restore eroding beaches and wildlife habitat in the Grand Canyon, according to information from the Bureau of Reclamation.
The Colorado River flow into Lake Mead will benefit boaters and other recreation users, officials said.
"For 60 hours starting Nov. 21st, there would be a high flow through the river," Norton said.
Norton expects that an environmental study to be completed Friday will clear the way for the Interior Department to move ahead on the plan over the weekend.
The boost will be a small one considering Lake Mead has dropped 87 feet since 1998 because of drought.
But Colleen Dwyer, spokeswoman for the Bureau of Reclamation at Hoover Dam, said the water transfer is likely to prevent further drops during the winter season.
"Any additional water in the lake is good news," Dwyer said.
The added water could extend the lake's surface shoreline by 20 feet in some areas, depending on the slope, said Roxanne Dey, a spokeswoman for the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.
Dey said concessionaires are planning to pull back their courtesy docks and walkways to accommodate the extra water.
"An extra two feet is an early Christmas present for boaters," she said.
Norton said the Interior Department is releasing one massive amount of water from Lake Powell instead of smaller releases normally scheduled throughout the year.
"This is water that ordinarily would be released this calendar year," Norton said. "It does not change the amount of water."
Officials said the release will not affect the amounts of water that Nevada and other Colorado River states can draw for drinking or irrigation.
Scientists hope that water flushing through the Grand Canyon will redistribute more than a million tons of sediment along the riverbed, creating new beaches for outdoor enthusiasts.
Officials predict the sediment will create backwaters that will help the humpback chub, an endangered fish native to the Grand Canyon that thrives on swift currents and white water.
Test results might cause river managers to re-evaluate water release schedules. To let loose larger volumes than a number of smaller ones might be more beneficial.
Norton discussed the Colorado River in an interview looking ahead to President Bush's second term.
She would not say whether she plans to remain Interior secretary. Six other members of the Bush Cabinet have announced their resignations over the past week.
Norton said she is urging Western states to continue making contingency plans should the drought continue.
"We still have a long-term drought from which we have to catch up, so there will be less water to go around than we would like," Norton said.
California and Nevada, the latter relying upon the Colorado River for 90 percent of its water, are not expected to receive any surplus water next year, Norton said.
When river flow was above normal, Nevada received more than its allotted 300,000 acre feet each year. An acre-foot is 325,851 gallons, roughly the amount of water consumed by the average Las Vegas Valley household every 17 months.
Water officials from the lower river basin states have been meeting over the past year to devise water banking or water marketing plans that could direct additional water to states that need it most. Norton said those discussions were continuing.
"Each of the states has an incentive to work cooperatively to find the least painful ways of cutting back," Norton said.
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Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal [/size]
[font "verdana,arial"][size 4]Water release to boost lake level[/size][/font]
[font "verdana,arial"][size 2]Government plans experiment with Colorado River flow[/size][/font][url "http://www.reviewjournal.com/about/print/rjstaff.html#City%20Desk"][size 1]By SAMANTHA YOUNG
STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU [/b]
[/b][/size][/url] [font "Verdana, Arial"][size 1][/size][/font]
[/b]WASHINGTON -- Water levels in drought-reduced Lake Mead would be boosted by 2 1/2 feet this month under a government plan to open valves upriver at Glen Canyon Dam, Interior Secretary Gale Norton and other officials said Thursday.
An estimated 340,800 acre-feet will be released from Lake Powell in an experiment to restore eroding beaches and wildlife habitat in the Grand Canyon, according to information from the Bureau of Reclamation.
The Colorado River flow into Lake Mead will benefit boaters and other recreation users, officials said.
"For 60 hours starting Nov. 21st, there would be a high flow through the river," Norton said.
Norton expects that an environmental study to be completed Friday will clear the way for the Interior Department to move ahead on the plan over the weekend.
The boost will be a small one considering Lake Mead has dropped 87 feet since 1998 because of drought.
But Colleen Dwyer, spokeswoman for the Bureau of Reclamation at Hoover Dam, said the water transfer is likely to prevent further drops during the winter season.
"Any additional water in the lake is good news," Dwyer said.
The added water could extend the lake's surface shoreline by 20 feet in some areas, depending on the slope, said Roxanne Dey, a spokeswoman for the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.
Dey said concessionaires are planning to pull back their courtesy docks and walkways to accommodate the extra water.
"An extra two feet is an early Christmas present for boaters," she said.
Norton said the Interior Department is releasing one massive amount of water from Lake Powell instead of smaller releases normally scheduled throughout the year.
"This is water that ordinarily would be released this calendar year," Norton said. "It does not change the amount of water."
Officials said the release will not affect the amounts of water that Nevada and other Colorado River states can draw for drinking or irrigation.
Scientists hope that water flushing through the Grand Canyon will redistribute more than a million tons of sediment along the riverbed, creating new beaches for outdoor enthusiasts.
Officials predict the sediment will create backwaters that will help the humpback chub, an endangered fish native to the Grand Canyon that thrives on swift currents and white water.
Test results might cause river managers to re-evaluate water release schedules. To let loose larger volumes than a number of smaller ones might be more beneficial.
Norton discussed the Colorado River in an interview looking ahead to President Bush's second term.
She would not say whether she plans to remain Interior secretary. Six other members of the Bush Cabinet have announced their resignations over the past week.
Norton said she is urging Western states to continue making contingency plans should the drought continue.
"We still have a long-term drought from which we have to catch up, so there will be less water to go around than we would like," Norton said.
California and Nevada, the latter relying upon the Colorado River for 90 percent of its water, are not expected to receive any surplus water next year, Norton said.
When river flow was above normal, Nevada received more than its allotted 300,000 acre feet each year. An acre-foot is 325,851 gallons, roughly the amount of water consumed by the average Las Vegas Valley household every 17 months.
Water officials from the lower river basin states have been meeting over the past year to devise water banking or water marketing plans that could direct additional water to states that need it most. Norton said those discussions were continuing.
"Each of the states has an incentive to work cooperatively to find the least painful ways of cutting back," Norton said.
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