The 2008 high flow experiment at the Glen Canyon Dam

Image taken during the 2004 high flow test at the Glen Canyon

On March 5, 2008, the Secretary of the Interior, Dirk Kempthorne, opened the flood gates of several water tubes at the Glen Canyon Dam at Lake Powell, Arizona. The water released from the dam was part of a joint experiment between three government agencies — the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Bureau of Reclamation, and the National Park Service (NPS) — to improve the river for wildlife and visitors.

Researchers involved with the experiment are hoping that the higher water levels will rebuild depleted sand levels at critical locations along the canyon bed. A similar high flow test was conducted in 1996 and 2004 (the image above is from the 2004 experiment).

Here are some specifics about the experiment:

The experiment is a 60-hour “high flow test.” The additional water is expected to push sand built up at the bottom of the river’s channel into a series of sandbars and beaches along the river.

“This experiment has been timed to take advantage of the highest sediment deposits in a decade and designed to better assess the ability of these releases to rebuild beaches that provide habitat for endangered wildlife and campsites for thousands of Grand Canyon National Park tourists,” Secretary Kempthorne said. “The water will be released at a rate that would fill the Empire State Building within twenty minutes. It will transport enough sediment to cover a football field 100 feet deep with silt and sand.”

Wow! It’s also good to note that the water is being released at a rate of 41,500 cubic feet per second! I don’t even want to imagine the insane amount of pressure of that water. If somebody were blasted with that kind of pressure I’m almost certain they would die (if not drown).

Kempthorne says that releasing this water is equivalent to turning on 1.8 million garden hoses at the same time.

Here’s some raw video from the Associated Press at the event.

Yahoo! News has a photo slideshow here.

And CNN reports:

Unfortunately, I cannot find any hi-res photos from this most recent test (I can only find photos from the 2004 experiment). If I find some later, I’ll post them.