Eric Balken makes the case that Lake Powell, anchored in place by the Glen Canyon Dam, is too inefficient a reservoir during times of water scarcity. Lake Mead, he says, is more than up to the task.
Water scarcity in the Colorado River Basin has prompted questions about Lake Powell, which loses up to 390,000 acre-feet of water yearly to seepage. "Nearly everyone agrees that conservation is needed basin-wide, but storing water in Lake Powell, the most wasteful reservoir in the system, isn't about saving water. Upper Basin officials fear that if Lake Powell shrinks too much, the reduced hydropower generation will drastically hike electric rates."
Glen Canyon Dam, completed in 1966, stops up the Colorado River and is the only reason Lake Powell exists. It is a key source of hydroelectric power, but it also enraged a generation of environmentalists by inundating an entire riverine ecosystem.
Balken advocates letting the waters of Lake Powell through the dam to collect in a single reservoir, Lake Mead. "This would mean Glen Canyon would transition from a reservoir destination to a world-class rafting and hiking destination. With low reservoir levels over the past decade, hundreds of miles of river and side canyons have already begun to be restored to their natural beauty." On the flip side, gas-fired plants may have to compensate for the dam's reduced generating capacity.
FULL STORY: It’s time to let Lake Powell go
Federal Government Declares Water Shortage as Lake Mead Reaches Critical Low
The first-of-its-kind declaration triggers major water cutbacks for Arizona farmers and reduced allocations for Nevada and Mexico.
Is Glen Canyon Dam Obsolete?
As climate changes in the Rockies and the southwest, Lake Powell is gradually shrinking. The debate over Glen Canyon Dam is on again, and this time environmentalists aren't the only ones against it.
Feds say Arizona, California and Nevada must cut Colorado River water use by 1.25 million acre-feet
The new plan does not apply mandatory cuts to any of the river’s upper basin states.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association