Damage At Glen Canyon Dam Could Jeopardize Water Supplies In Western U.S.

Damage at Glen Canyon Dam could jeopardize water supplies in Western U.S. Officials have identified significant pipe damage in a major U.S. dam on the Colorado River that could leave 30 million Americans suffering from a water shortage.

The affected pipes are known as the river outlet works and release water from Lake Powell into the Colorado River to flow into Lake Mead. So far, there has been no word on a fall release, and residents who depend on the water in Utah, Nevada and California are facing uncertainty about their water supply and could face ongoing water shortages as a result.

Lake Mead is the nation's biggest reservoir when it is full, and water flows there through four eight-foot-wide pipes along its 200-mile journey when the dam releases water.

The damage was discovered following a high flow experiment that saw a significant volume of water released to feed Lake Mead. No water will be released this month, which will keep Lake Powell's water level high and safe for area residents, while those downstream will be in jeopardy.

Water experts worry that the water level in Lake Powell could fall so low that water cannot pass through the hydropower turbines that are responsible for generating the electricity used by 5 million Americans across seven states.

The executive director of the Glen Canyon Institute, Eric Balken, has warned that the pipe damage could pose a major threat to water supplies.

"The plumbing design of Glen Canyon Dam is archaic. It's just too old. It's literally antique plumbing, and it's going to have to be fixed by lowering the bypass tubes to a lower water level, presumably at riverbed level," he said, adding that repairs could cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

https://www.naturalnews.com/2024-04-16-damage-glen-canyon-dam-jeopardize-water-supplies.html