The Glen Canyon Dam was engineered incorrectly and is not compatible with the actual wording of the compact. It has to go.
First, the compact explicitly states that power generation is not an acceptable use of river water. If you can make it happen, bonus! If you can’t, too bad. No decision-making, no planning, nothing is allowed to take power generation into account.
Second, a plain reading of the compact would say that the emergency outlets on the dam must be used even if they destroy the dam. The dam is upstream of Lee’s Ferry (barely) and the compact prohibits obstructing the allocated lower basin flows upstream of Lee’s Ferry. It also says that lower basin water claims must be taken from lower basin reservoirs as long as they contain more than 5 million acre feet of water. Lake Powell is a lower basin reservoir, so water must be pulled from it before the upper basin reservoirs can be forced to release water to get the Lake Powell water level high enough to use the intended outlets.
stockresearcher•4mo ago
First, the compact explicitly states that power generation is not an acceptable use of river water. If you can make it happen, bonus! If you can’t, too bad. No decision-making, no planning, nothing is allowed to take power generation into account.
Second, a plain reading of the compact would say that the emergency outlets on the dam must be used even if they destroy the dam. The dam is upstream of Lee’s Ferry (barely) and the compact prohibits obstructing the allocated lower basin flows upstream of Lee’s Ferry. It also says that lower basin water claims must be taken from lower basin reservoirs as long as they contain more than 5 million acre feet of water. Lake Powell is a lower basin reservoir, so water must be pulled from it before the upper basin reservoirs can be forced to release water to get the Lake Powell water level high enough to use the intended outlets.