This week, Save The Colorado sent the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) public comments for the “Scoping: Post 2026 Colorado River Operations” which are due to USBR on August 15.
USBR will create a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) over the next 2 years for the Post 2026 Operations, that will be the most consequential opportunity in a generation to systemically change the management of the Colorado River.
Save The Colorado is encouraging USBR to create a “Grand Canyon Restoration Alternative” in the EIS that creates a bypass tunnel around Glen Canyon Dam so that the Colorado River’s water can once again flow freely through the Grand Canyon thereby nourishing the Canyon’s long-suffering and depleted ecosystem. In fact, it was USBR which, earlier this year, created a plan for a bypass tunnel around Glen Canyon Dam to help solve the Colorado River’s ongoing drought and management problems.
We have one chance in a lifetime to change the management of the Colorado River and restore the health and vitality of the Grand Canyon, and the ‘Grand Canyon Restoration Alternative’ must be an option for the American people to consider during this EIS process.
The Grand Canyon is one of America’s most pre-eminent National Parks and one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, and it’s time for the Colorado River to flow freely through it.
Save The Colorado’s comment letter to USBR is posted here. Save The Colorado’s comments also contain a 6-point list of “solutions that are long-term, equitable, sustainable, and actually solve the problems on the Colorado River rather than kick the can down the road.
Gary Wockner, PhD, is a scientist and conservationist based in Colorado. Follow him on Twitter, @GaryWockner. Learn more at savethecolorado.org