Lake Powell Water Release Glen Canyon Dam High Flow Experiment 2023
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 เม.ย. 2023
- This video shows the raw, controlled, insane amount of water released at 39,500 cfs. Originating from a massive hydroelectric dam that is the Glen Canyon Dam. You will see the Colorado River at a high flow in order to transport sediment down river to aid the beaches in the Grand Canyon. This is the first spring high flow and hasn’t happened since the drought conditions started to worsen back in 2018. The lake dropped 4 feet in 72 hours. Please note the before and after shots taken at Lee’s Ferry. All water is heading to Lake Mead as billions of gallons flow through the Grand Canyon. Links for data will be provided below.
Bureau Of Reclamation Current Status;
www.usbr.gov/uc/water/crsp/cs...
National Park Service High Flow Experiment 2023
www.nps.gov/grca/learn/nature...
United States Geological Survey Lee’s Ferry Gauging Station
waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring...
Lake Powell Water Database
lakepowell.water-data.com/
I'm 81 and I wish I could pass water like that again.
😂
How does it pass now ???
Flow better with flomax
Thanks for taking and sharing this video…I’m a frequent fly fisher and camper up there every chance I get. your before / after shots are especially awesome!
Thank you!
Thanks for the video, great to see below the dam and before/after footage.
Well that let’s me know you watched the whole thing. 😎 Thank you! I do this for you the people.
Good job bud. Top quality. Thanks from all of us.
Your welcome. Thank you!
Former river guide here. Ought to be a hell of a ride downstream,wondering how they’re handling it. Back in the day we were all about the release schedule. Sometimes left high n dry,sometimes the opposite. Sedimentation was all on down canyon beaches. I’m remembering high cfs trips-Crystal,Horn Cr.,Granite,etc..old Belknap guide map,mile by mile,history,photos,i.e. National Canyon,two lovely ladies holding spatulas with the quote ‘Girls grill golden brown pork chops where Powell party spread meager rations’ ..Ha !! always remembered that ..poor Colorado R.,though,and the freaking dams(Abbey was right) ..see what happens though I doubt it will ever recover 😉
THis is my favorite canyon run in Microsoft Flight Simulator. I jump in a P-51, fly low over the dam, dive under the bridge and fly the canyon at full throttle and turn and burn down to lake mead.
I met you at the Factory Outlet Bean Store Remember me???😅
@@glitch-pr3nr What do you mean?
Good job. Thanks for not ruining it with music
You're welcome!
Some of the best footage of the Glen Canyon Dam ever taken. I'm not much of a fan of the Glen for a multitude of reasons but it is truly one of the most stunning concrete dams ever erected. Hoover should have been the first and last ever built on the Colorado. Thanks for the great work on this video.
Thank you!
Some of the best “dam” footage haha
⁸
Absolutely beautiful photography
This is some great footage. Just keep making more videos like You have been.
Appreciate it! Thank you for all of your comments.
Awesome! I live on the Isle of Skye in Scotland and we have lots of hydro-electric dams in the Highlands. We have plenty of rain and we often bitch about how wet the weather is. When you see how low Lake Mead was a few months ago it definitely makes me grateful for where I am. So cool to see the water flow down into the creeks and the immediate benefits. I enjoyed this video very much, thanks for sharing 👍🏻
Hello from Arizona! 👋
Happy to see water being released.
That’s a nice perspective. As someone that lives downstream and who’s state of residence has certainly based a lot of its growth on this river, I find it pretty disturbing to think about these water levels. So many people are going to have to relocate if the Colorado River dries up. It did get a shot in the arm this winter but we’ll need that trend to continue to get back to where we can relax.
great footage
Thank you.
I remember as a kid watching an episode of ROUTE 66, where Tod and Buz worked at the construction site of the Glen Canyon Dam. Great views of the construction site(s) both above and below ground. And thanx for the before and after shots. Very nice to see
Love that episode. It’s here in on TH-cam.
Good job capturing the event. Thank you buddy.
I do it for the people! Thank you for the feedback.
Wow. What a powerful flow. We visited Glen Canyon Dam in February 2023. Nice to be there at the right time to capture this event.
This video was done very nicely, thank you I enjoyed every minute.
Thank for posting. Great capture of the sceneries down the canyon.
I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for watching!
Great video. So glad you went down to Lee's Ferry and the Vermilion Cliffs, love that area.
Thank you!
Awesome video the river looks absolutely beautiful. Thanks for the great video.
Your welcome! Thank you.
Excellent video. Wow.... the power of water!
Thank-you, this was awesome.
This is good to see, very good. I was there first part of February and the water level was so low the sand bar below the spill way was above water and at least 20-30 feet in diameter. I'll be driving thru again in a couple of weeks and can't wait to visit it again!
VERY Nice.....the river and its ecosystem is smiling.
Some stunning scenery and great shots Thanks for the video.
Thank you!
Wonderfully done video. Nice to watch the release from the tubes in the dam, and not feel rushed.
Many thanks!
Impressive videography.
That was really nice!
I almost feel like I didn't deserve all of that!
Thanks for making and posting the awesome video!
At 7:38 you can see the footings for the concrete plant which, from June 1960 to September 1963, churned out up to 1,450 tons of the grey stuff each hour.
It operated 24/7 for those 39 months eventually producing 5,370,000 cubic yards of concrete to create the dam.
Wish Lake Powell could hold on to a little bit more of that water.
It’s unfortunate but Mead will reclaim.
Plenty more coming to Powell. Patience, grasshopper.
We can cut that water off anytime, if we have to.
Wishes are for fishes
Isn’t that part of why Mead keeps dropping because Powell has been holding on to it for a while?!
Amazing video. So glad I found your channel!
Appreciate the comment. Glad your enjoying the show. Also, thank you for watching.
i went to Lake Powell when i was a kid. My parents rented a house boat and we took a few day trips way up north to bullfrog and did a lot of inner tubing and water skiing...ahhh memories
Yep. Almost every summer weekend for 12 years there. What a time
What awesome pictures.Thanks for sharing.
Your welcome! Thank you for watching.
Wow!! And so happy for our Lake Mead getting a bit of help.
Yes they are!
How nice to see, been dry so long this is a happy site.
The massive water and scenery is amazing. Thanks.
Thank you!
Thank you this was amazing. I’m Australian so I know what water shortage is. Thank you again great photography
Born and raised in Utah. It's been a scary last few years.
You must go to Pearce Ferry Rapid!!!!!! Great video.
That’s at the beginning of Lake Mead, right?
@@DesertRatExploration Used to be, Ratty. Before you were born probably.
@@DesertRatExploration yes. Its the exit point of the Grand Canyon and what used to he the upper reach of Lake Mead.
WOW Thank you for the before and after pictures. It is thrilling to see and hear the river!! I hope with this that governments and politician won't go back to sleep. We are not out of a crisis unless we had another 3 winters similar to this year. We can become complacent and waste water because we have it! Really appreciate your channel!
Thank you! I appreciate you watching.
@@DesertRatExploration ❣
Thanks for sharing.
Beautifully videographed 👌🏿 👍🏼 ❤️
Glad you liked it!
Great video. A tribute to mans ingenuity and to the awe inspiring beauty and power of nature.
TOP VIDEO 👍
I swear its the background scenery from all the road runner cartoons!
Thank you for this and thank you for the added information... We have a group of friends and neighbors from Flagstaff going down the river on a 6 day powered trip, 188 miles, starting May 19th. Lived here all my life and it's my first trip at 51 years old - although I've been to Havasupai about 35 times. I'm guessing it'll be a pretty awesome time of the year and a great experience with new beaches. If they're releasing at this time again perhaps we'll have such a different experience with new beaches?
Should be a good river trip!
Stunning photography and intersting information. Appreciate you sharing this, thank you!
Great video! Thanks for posting it
Seems a little silly to be letting so much water out when Powell has been at record low water levels...
You didn’t hear about the record snow, 150% enough for 3 years. The water is on its way.
It’s going to a good home. Lake Mead.
Yup, maybe let's wait till it comes up 100ft before we start counting our chickens
@@dapolkowske after 100 years of history with this water system that is highly unlikely.
I'm just saying we've had record moisture this year. Let's not squander the opportunity to fill our reservoirs. Once that water is sent downstream, there's no getting it back.
thank you for the update...hope for more update soon
Thank you!
Great editing Iove the views and the Before and Afters! Thank you
Before everyone gets bent out of shape about this release...
Most importantly: The High Flow Experiment (HFE) *DOES NOT* increase the amount of water released during the year. The extra water discharged during the HFE is accounted for by reducing the normal daily release by 1-2% during the other 361 days of the year.
The yearly release of water from Glen Canyon Dam is mandated by the Colorado River Compact of 1922, so it is a matter of federal law. It's only 4 pages long and straightforward to comprehend. Easy reading while sitting on the toilet. It's archaic, poorly conceived when it was written, and made even worse over the past 100 years of development in the American West. For now, it is what we are stuck with. If anyone can come up with a reasonable compromise that fits the needs of agriculture, urban development, rural communities, Native Americans, recreation, and environmental protection on a river system that seven states depend on, you may be eligible for a Nobel Prize.
Thanks for the effort great report. Any concern about damage to aquatic insects life with the movement of sediment. I know it naturally occurs, that's how I like it. A river in Maine was ruined by installing Hydro in a existing structure. The sand and sediment burried all the eggs to deep..... Fish and insect suffocation.
@@nickhammer6408 Good point. There is actually a plan in place each summer for "bug flows." During the weekends, the Glen Canyon Dam releases a constant amount to allow for insects to lay, hatch, and develop so the fish and bats have something to eat. Because the fish and bats are so effective at devouring everything within reach, the allowance for more insects does not become bothersome to humans who travel along the river.
@@delphic464 Excellent . nope insects can be a good measure of health. I'm sure the rubber caddis crowd Rafters will love it. Those insects aren't the biting kind they are the get bitten kind.
Wow great shot and info. Hope those downstream were aware.
I was down there in 2018 when the tubes just started and got to stand on the deck where those workers are. It's pretty spectacular to see right from that perspective.
I didn’t see this comment! That’s amazing. I’m glad you got to experience that. I’ve always wanted to pull the lever and get those things going!
This was me at 19 years old. Things are different now.
How long back is that?
This flow is going to Lake Mead it’s not being wasted.
Correct
They always release an established amount to maintain normal demands downstream. "Gully washers" erode what's established to be there right now
The only thing wasted is the opportunity to generate hydro power with this water.
@@jamestucker8088 fr
That was an awesome video of Glen Canyon. That is a lot of water. They’re letting out hopefully things will get straightened out.
Really cool bridge to walk on,
Thanks ✌️
3:52 Hollow jet valves! Gotta love 'em!
Awesome Video
Thank you!
I appreciate ecology environmental conservancy
It’s important.
Who doesn’t. It’s the politics
And big business behind it that’s shady.
Amazing! Great video!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Excellent video. Really informative and amazing to watch. Thank you.
Great footage!👍 Thanks for sharing, new subscriber hope to see more coverage of the levels at Powell & GCD this year!
Thank you!
Would make a terrific ad for a prostate drug like Flomax!
No contact yet.
Great video. Clearly it was an event more than an experiment. It looks like a healthily river at last. Hope we will see more flow over the summer!
63 feet was a good rise.
Very interesting and informative video, thanks for taking the time.
Thank you!
Thank you for this footage!
I’m glad you enjoyed it as much as I loved presenting it.
The before and after was so important to document, thanks for the videos as I hope people watch them to really understand how this particular water system works. So many misconceptions out there .
Thank you for watching my little scientific study.
Hey! Great Great video!
Love the video, thank you. What camera equipment did you use?
Iphone 14 Pro Max.
Hopefully there will be many great rafting trips this season.
Great footage. Thanks for sharing and documenting,. Did you drift down to each location to film? How did you get before and after in so many locations?
Mainly hiked and timed all the shots accordingly. No drifting down the river though, that does sound a little more relaxing.
Another excellent post, Sir R. You always seem to be in the right place at the right time. Are you secretly BuWreck's official videographer?
Of course, with Powell so low, they're releasing this water at just the right time to avoid giving the fishies downstream nightmares.
The water being drawn off is very close to the surface and therefore is the warmest Powell has to offer. When the reservoir is at higher elevtions those releases are of much colder water which then gives the fish a bit of a headache.
Thank you! Also, no secrets. I work for you the people.!
@@DesertRatExploration lol. Keep up the good work. I'm in the UK so rely on people such as your good self to feed my Powell obsession with real time videos.
@@DaveFiggley sounds like with all that knowledge you have, your a local
@@DesertRatExploration Ha ! To be honest, I hadn't heard of Lake Powell until about three years ago.
Some actress drowned in Lake Piru CA, July 2020. Her young kid was found alone floating on the hire boat. This grabbed my attention and then, via the Salton Sea and Lake Mead, my focus ended up on Lake Powell.
And I was hooked. I had no idea the SW was experiencing the worst drought in however many centuries but I picked the perfect time to become a 'Powell Watcher'.
Best wishes and keep these fabulous videos coming.
Sounds like you need to come and explore Powell for yourself. Finally set foot in this land.
If we would stop the vicious waste of water for pure opulence it would be a major step forward. Vegas and its population in a desert must be an insane strain on the water system. Uncovered pools, golf courses, lawns and old leaking infrastructure are all points we could attempt a better way to use what's available.
I lived there when they claimed there would be no more golf courses built. The was Painted Desert off the 93. Fairly desert/xeriscape but still has lush greens and fairways. This was 1982. How many more have been built since that are so conservation minded in design. Why? Because in Vegas, money talks and bullsh1t walks. It's all about who you know and who you cater to.
Disgusting.
Only a small percentage of lake mead is used by vegas...the biggest is california
Las Vegas gets 1% of the total water flow California gets the most with around 30% i think.
Vegas uses hardly anything. California needs to eject it’s head from its ass and figure out how to reclaim water.
I'm sorry but when I'm paying $25 for a round of golf I expect the grass to be green. That requires water.
I was there in 1996 when they
Did a purge just like this. It was
Quite a sight too see!!
That’s awesome! What brought you through Page in 66?
Great video
Thank you!
Did the officials curtail river trips during the release? In 1976 I went down the full length from Lee's Ferry to the last haul out spot with the Sanderson Co. Experience of a lifetime!
What an amazing vid. Thanks for doing this.
Thank you!
easy now, its not enof to build up the downstrem resuwar, sorry fore my bad english
That’s the sound of Lake Powell draining. 39,500 cubic feet per second or 17,729,970 gallons per minute out of the four jet tubes and eight turbines.
That’s a lot of water.
I thought the tubes were 3.75 kcfs each, for a total of 15 kcfs or 112,200 gps. You must be including the turbines.
@@concorde2003 You are correct. I edited my post for clarification. That is a lot of water.
Love the video and super excited for the water levels to go up you got to love mother nature 🌬️ ❤ 🌧️
Thank you!
That would be horrible if even one of those valves got stuck open! Cool footage. So much power! Got things moving down stream. That’s for sure.
Nightmare
Probably backup valves in the pipelines.
@@donaldkasper8346 with their own back-up valves
The Engineers would never let that happen. Too much at stake.
Send it down cause we need it👍
This was me before my prostate had other ideas.
Look at that water pressure!
Subscribed!
It's to bad that won't be enough for Lake Mead. Oh and good job on your video 📹
Wow so much water
I think they washed the Spider out.
I remember when they did that some decades ago, for the same reason. As I recall, many were concerned of the impact it had on the fish ecology (too much sediment) while others argued it was necessary to improve spawning. Regardless, I'll always remember Lee's Ferry for the size of trout I caught
Where is this calm portion of the river with the wooden stairwell? At about the 13:21 mark. Looks beautiful!
That is called the Ropes Trail Campsite. It can be accessed by a strenuous hike or by boat.
I thought these shower heads were illegal.
Nice editing collage!
These occasional high-flow releases are necessary to keep some resemblance of the original, un-dammed river landscape.
Facts
Actually, Ratty, I see now where they are letting this water out from.
Apart from the two spillways, there are ten ways for water to pass through Glen Canyon Dam: eight of them are the penstocks at 3470 that feed water to the turbines and the other two are the 'river outlets' at 3374.
So it's no wonder the water shoots out with such force: there's currently a hydraulic head of 150' above the 'river outlet' ports. The water in this HFE isn't as warm as I first assumed.
If Powell was ever to drop to the level of the 'river outlets' at 3374 (which it probably never will) it would reach 'Dead Pool' whereby 8% of the reservoir would be trapped behind the dam. The water would be approximately 240' deep at the back face of the dam. Of course, the Colorado would continue to flow into Powell and out through the 'river outlets' down to Mead.
Obviously Powell has to deliver 7.5 maf downstream each year and there was some speculation as to whether these 'river outlets' could a) pass enough water to meet the demands of the Lower Basin and b) withstand a constant maximum flow that they weren't designed to take. That's probably a conundrum for a future generation to fathom.
Did you just say they are going to release 84% of water coming into Powell down to Mead? That will be interesting.
If I’m not mistaken or mislead by the BOR data, than yes. A lot of what we are getting should be sent to Mead.
Beautiful editing !
Thank you. I appreciate the feedback.
❤
Multiple reports stated that Powell would raise over 50 ft. This is just the first release which only raises Mead 1 ft. Many more to come.
dude this is fckn awesome.
Glad you enjoyed it.
Controversy aside, i just wish they would have waited 1-2 weeks to do this. The only operational boat launch ramps at Lake Powell were just beginning to get their toes wet (end of concrete getting submerged). These ramps have been using large metal plates as temporary extended runways. The plates are a pain to maintain (ive watched the work NPS crews do to maintain the extensions) The metal extensions will have to be used a bit longer because the lake was dropped a couple feet. The timing was too much of a tease in this sense... But at least current useable ramps will be plenty submerged by Memorial Day. We may even have an additional ramp open by end of May. For sure by July 4th. 😎
Lake Powell is the most amazing fusion of the Might of man and the Beauty of nature. Glen Canyon Dam makes it all possible.
these releases to "mimic the flow of Colorado to replenish beaches" have been going on since the 90's. Now there is more water to release.