Saturday, March 15

Grand Canyon Sand Bars

Todays Water Tip:
Flush your lines. Water that sits in water lines can become stagnant and stale, especially if it's from a faucet that's not used very often. Before drinking water from a faucet that you suspect is not used very often, let it run for 2-3 minutes to bring new fresh water into the line. This may seem contradictory to my conservation theory, but our health is first and foremost important in this case. Using water for benefit is a lot different than needless waste.














My friend John on the Tieton River, WA. Sept. 2007 on our "Wild River Weekend". The annual water release from the Rimrock Dam makes for tons o fun!

Grand Canyon Sand Bars

I read a report today in our local newspaper stating that the Grand Canyon is sporting some new sand bars, due to the man made flood which occurred for 3 days last week. Some of the sandbars are as large as football fields and already have signs of wild life exploring the new stomping grounds. Beaver tracks and long horn sheep tracks have been identified.

The sediment buildup above the dam was at a 10 year high and the measure seems to have worked (to help restore the environment), but......as I mentioned in my last post, it is believed that these new sand bars will erode in approximately 18 months unless a flooding program is developed. Another flood is not scheduled until 2012. Annual to semi-annual flooding really seems to be the ticket to maintain the benefits. (There will be some very happy rafters too!)

If it's all about restoring the environment it would seem that a sensible program should be developed, otherwise, to me, it seems like a waste to find a solution that works, only to let it backslide and be faced with the same problem in just a couple of years. It's a viscous cycle if you ask me, one that good planning could fix. I think they need to pick a side. Either restore the environment and do it right, or simply utilize the benefits that the canyon has to offer as it is, like recreation, tourism, livelihood, and hydro power.

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