Thursday, March 13

The Grand Canyon

Today's Water Tip:
You can use a mixture of water and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) for many of your cleaning duties around the house. The peroxide naturally disinfects and removes stains without toxic chemicals. I have used it for cleaning counter tops, floors, laundry stains on whites, etc. I have even heard of people soaking meat in the solution to kill bacteria on the surface prior to cooking. H2O2 also has many health benefits because of it's anti bacterial and anti fungal qualities.

The Grand Canyon
41,500 cubic feet of water per second (300,000 gallons per second) was released for 60 hours from the Glen Dam into the Grand Canyon in Arizona (USA) last week in an attempt to help restore the environment. (The dam's normal discharge is 15,000 cubic feet per second). This is enough water to fill the Empire State Building in 20 minutes. Wow!

Before the dam was built in 1963, the Colorado River was warmer and muddy, and the natural flooding created sandbars that are essential to native plant and fish species. Now the river is cool and clear, the sediment blocked by the dam.The sandbars have eroded horribly. The theory is that the rush of water and sediment will help replace the natural habitat of wildlife such as the endangered fish, the Hunchback Chub.

The attempt to re-create the high springtime flows that shaped the river before the dam was built in the 1960s, is the third artificial test flood in the past 12 years, but some say the experiment doesn't go far enough. There are people who believe that the flood goes against the latest scientific evidence, and for the experiment to be successful it needs to be repeated at least bi-annually if not annually, but there are questions about whether that is in the plan. There are also rumors that the test was pushed forward simply as a measure to maximize hydro power revenue.

White water rafters on the other hand stood on the bank watching the water rise, excited by the challenges of the rushing water. Gotta ride that water! (Tip: If you haven't tried white water rafting, your missing out! Wow, what a rush, literally!).

It will be months, or possibly years to determine if this massive experiment will get nature back on track. I my self am torn on the issue, I'm all for the environment, and if done correctly I think it could work. I just hope that our precious natural resource is being used wisely and with good planning by all. I do hope it's worth more than a spendy, yet awesome ride down the river! All I have to say is, like so many things in life, it's a bittersweet thing, savor what you can.

The wide spectrum of water uses, turn round and round, like a
water wheel.
I welcome your comments