In this research paper I will be exploring some specific ways the Glen Canyon Dam has impacted the Glen Canyon, Grand Canyon and the Colorado River. I will explore the motivation for the construction of the Glen Canyon Dam, and discuss both the positive and negative changes the Glen Canyon Dam has inflicted. Although there are a plethora of impacts, I will be focusing only on those that have influenced the geomorphology of the area. Of these impacts I will concentrate on the negative impacts the dam has had on its environment. Finally, I will detail the current attempts to mitigate the detrimental effects that have arisen as well explore other possible future solutions.
The Glen Canyon Dam is Located in the Colorado Plateau. The Colorado Plateau is an area of 150,000 square miles of land (Durrenberger 212). It is located in the four corners area of the United States. Four Corners is the name given to the area in which the states of …show more content…
The act of controlled flooding entails a regulated release of dam water through designated openings within the dam wall. Planned flooding recreates sediment transport and management, that would have naturally occurred had the dam not been built (Stevens, Ayers, Bennett, Christensen, Kearsley, Meretsky, Phillips III, Parnell, Spence, Sogge, Springer, and Wegner 701). These planned floodings are instrumental in minimizing the effects the dam would have on sediment transport otherwise.
Possible future solutions to mitigate the negative effects of the Glen Canyon Dam are continued planned flooding or in a more extreme move the removal of the dam. Removal of the Glen Canyon Dam was once unthinkable however, due to the discovered environmental effects and recently the unrelenting drought there is more support for the dam's removal. The removal of a dam also comes with multiple side effects, there is no one solution that is a cure
The Glen Canyon Dam is Located in the Colorado Plateau. The Colorado Plateau is an area of 150,000 square miles of land (Durrenberger 212). It is located in the four corners area of the United States. Four Corners is the name given to the area in which the states of …show more content…
The act of controlled flooding entails a regulated release of dam water through designated openings within the dam wall. Planned flooding recreates sediment transport and management, that would have naturally occurred had the dam not been built (Stevens, Ayers, Bennett, Christensen, Kearsley, Meretsky, Phillips III, Parnell, Spence, Sogge, Springer, and Wegner 701). These planned floodings are instrumental in minimizing the effects the dam would have on sediment transport otherwise.
Possible future solutions to mitigate the negative effects of the Glen Canyon Dam are continued planned flooding or in a more extreme move the removal of the dam. Removal of the Glen Canyon Dam was once unthinkable however, due to the discovered environmental effects and recently the unrelenting drought there is more support for the dam's removal. The removal of a dam also comes with multiple side effects, there is no one solution that is a cure