Good morning Mr. Chairman and Committee. We appreciate the opportunity to testify before you today. I want to thank my colleagues, my fellow panelists and Committee
staffers for assisting in this important discussion. My name is Dave Wegner, I am Vice-President of the Glen Canyon Institute, a private organization based in Salt Lake City, UT. Dr. Richard Ingebretsen is the President
of the organization and unfortunately could not be here today.
The Proposal- Decommission Glen Canyon Dam and Drain Lake Powell The Glen Canyon Institute's message and mission is quite simple we intend to initiate a
Citizens Environmental Assessment on the draining of Lake Powell and the restoration of the Colorado River through Glen Canyon. We intend to do this using funds raised from private citizens who are concerned about the
environmental health and the ecological sustainability of the Colorado River. We are a volunteer organization initiated in 1995. We believe that a need exists to initiate a discussion for the draining Lake Powell and
returning the head of the Colorado River to an ecologically sustainable level.
Background
How did we come to this conclusion and who do we think we are questioning the value of one of the largest dams on the
Colorado River system? Let me provide you some background on myself and the environmental science that indicates that the question of draining the lake needs to be addressed. For the past 22 plus years I had worked for
the Department of the Interior with most of that service with the Bureau of Reclamation. From 1983 to thee beginning of this year l was in charge of designing, coordinating and leading the scientific effort to evaluate
the impact of the operations of Glen Canyon on the downstream environment through the Grand Canyon and in studying Lake Powell. Today I am a private scientist, working nationally and internationally on restoring damaged
rivers and ecosystems. During my tenure with DOI, we produced hundreds of scientific reports, were reviewed three times by the National Research Council, and completed an Environmental Impact Statement on the impact of
the operations at Glen Canyon Dam. Congress passed in 1992 the Grand Canyon Protect(on Act, P.L. I02-575, that dictates that environmental resources must be considered in dam operations. In 1995 Secretary of the
Interior Bruce Babbitt signed the Record of Decision for that ElS. In 1996 we organized and coordinated the very first environmentally driven "artificial flood" in the Grand Canyon.It was a good start but the
majority of the positive results of that event have already been washed downstream. The point here is that we have scientific evidence that indicates that a far larger effort is required if we are serious about
maintaining and sustaining the riverine ecosystem of the Grand Canyon and protecting and restoring the endangered fish species of the Colorado River. Millions of dollars each year are being spent on short-term efforts
and approaches to handling the endangered fish and environmental problems. Jeopardy opinions and decreasing populations continue. Recovery of species and ecosystems requires more.
Historic Decisions
When the
Colorado River Storage Project Act (CRSP) (P.L. 84-485, 70 Slat. )05) was being negotiated in the mid-)950's limited discussion with the public was held regarding the authorization of Glen Canyon Dam. Decisions were
driven by the wafer users, power users and a limited number of powerful politicians. The public was not involved. There was no National Environmental Policy Act in place. The only cry of concern emanated from Mr. Brower
and a few environmentally focused people. They were dealt with quickly and concisely. The CRSP was passed into law on April 11, 1956 and construction was finished in )963. The downstream environment and the reservoir
basin began to be impacted immediately as the river artery downstream were constricted and the rising waters behind the dam drowned out the natural and cultural resources. The natural river system went into cardiac
arrest. Salvage studies conducted by the University of Utah and the Museum of Northern Arizona rushed out and collected all the cultural resources they could before the waters engulfed them into the darkness of the
lake. Native fish, plants, amphibians and insects were replaced with non-native species of fish, exotic plants, let skies and houseboats. The environmental health of the Colorado has been and continues to be compromised
and the patient is not doing well. Clearly had NEPA been in place Glen Canyon Dam would never have been built. The environmental costs have been and continue to be way to high. The point here is that the public was not
included in the discussion and no one spoke for the fish or the canyons, or the rest of the environment. The time is now to rethink those decisions while we still have a chance to do something positive for the
resources. Time is of the essence.
Existing Environment
Glen Canyon Dam and the Colorado River are managed to maximize the movement of water downstream, to protect the water investment of the upper and lower
Colorado River basin and to generate electricity. In the simplest of definition, Lake Mead serves as the checking account from which deliveries to the lower basin states are met. This includes water that finds its way
to Tucson and Phoenix, AZ; Los Angeles and San Diego, CA; Los Vegas, NV; and the republic of Mexico. Lake Powell serves as the savings account. Storing water for delivery to Lake Mead, through the conduit of the Grand
Canyon. Current delivery requirements provide for average annual deliveries of 8.23 million acre feet from Glen Canyon Dom. Lake Powell takes the risk away from water delivery requirements and consequently puts all the
risk on the environment. The present riverine ecosystem in the Grand Canyon is not sustainable in the long-term with the present operation schemes, even with periodic controlled floods. An innovative solution, not a
Band- Aid, needs to be evaluated in the public forum. That proposal is to drain Lake Powell.
Glen Canyon - Can it Ever be Recovered?
It is true that even with the draining of Lake Powell, we cannot return to the
way the river and canyons were in 1869 when Major John Wesley Powell traversed the Green and Colorado Rivers. Too many man induced impacts preclude that. What can be addressed though is that through careful,
scientifically driven studies, the physical and biological processes that define healthy, sustainable, riverine ecosystems can be restored. By providing the habitats for the native fish, birds and amphibians a solution
to our diminishing threatened and endangered species and ecosystems can be developed. A solution that we believe will allow the river to be restored to a level where it will be able to sustain itself ecologically and
geomorphically. The Glen Canyon will again breath, the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon will again exhibit the characteristics that defined in the past, and more water will be available seasonally and annually to
meet the needs for downstream users and for potential restoration of the Colorado River delta and the Sea of Cortez. The challenge is ours, the opportunity is ours and now the time is right to explore the options and
discuss publicly the issues.
The Citizens Environmental Assessment - a Step to the Future
The Glen Canyon Institute, with support from many people in this country and internationally, is proposing to initiate a
Citizens Environmental Assessment to address the issues associated with decommissioning Glen Canyon Dam and draining Lake Powell.
We intend on completing the Environmental Assessment with private funds, raised from
public citizens. We propose to follow a NEPA process to ensure a consistent approach, to provide all with equal opportunity and to present the information in a clear and forthright nature. We have discussed the proposal
with the Council on Environmental Quality and they have indicated that this is an appropriate process.
We believe that the issues are important and need to be discussed. There are over 750 large Federal dams in the
United States. Not one has any decommissioning language in their authorization that talks about what actions will be followed if they are environmentally destructive or what happens when they reach their useful life.
The issues at Glen Canyon will serve to bring broader issues to the debate. Further the concept of Adaptive Management and restoration is at a crossroads. Environmentally we have degraded not only individual species but
the processes that define them and their habitats. it is time to step back and rethink our logic of the past and the opportunities for the future.
We are not alone in addressing these issues. People all over the
world and in the United States are looking at decommissioning dams and returning the rivers to the landscape. This includes the Loire River in France, rivers in Japan, Africa, the Elwha River in Washington State and
many other impacted river systems. The trend is clear and the opportunity is now.
We believe that the issues at Glen Canyon deserve a public forum. That forum will be through the Citizens Environmental Assessment. We
believe that we live in a democratic society where free speech and discussion are an important part of our lives. We are only asking that the discussion occur.
Closure
Thirty four years have passed since the gates
at Glen Canyon Dam were closed. In those thirty four years many people have gained from the water stored behind the dam. Water users, power users, recreationists.
Today there are more jet skiers on Lake Powell on any
holiday weekend than there are native fish downstream in the Grand Canyon. We have a responsibility to the future generations to debate and discuss the issues. Decommissioning Glen Canyon Dam and draining Lake Powell is
such an issue. An issue that deserves the widest public debate possible. We believe that we have a right to that discussion - the discussion and debate that did not happen in 1956. Someone needs to speak for the
environment, for the Canyons, for the Canyon wren, for the endangered fish and for the generations of ancient native Americans who traversed the Glen Canyon landscape. We believe in the process and the need to think
now, not later about restoring our precious natural resources. Let the river flow and Glen Canyon breath. Thank you.
