The Glen Canyon Dam

The Glen Canyon Dam is located in Northern Arizona near the town of Page, and borders the Navajo Indian reservation. The dam was built to regulate the flow of the Colorado river, as well as provide hydroelectric power. New highways were built to reach the site, and a bridge was needed to reach both sides. This prompted the construction of the highest steel arch bridge in the world, which was opened in 1959. Next, the 710 ft high dam was to be built as part of the Colorado River Storage Project. The Glen Canyon Dam is a key structure in expanded use of water in the upper basin states (CO, UT, WY, NM, AZ). The reservoir is called Lake Powell, which stores water to meet the downstream commitments and create power to meet growing cities. Two tunnels were built to divert water from the original channel and keep it from entering the construction site. The old riverbed was removed to expose the bedrock to create the foundation for the dam.    Aggregate and concrete plants were built nearby, and the concrete was delivered down to the site by cables. The steel pipes were created nearby to be placed within the canyon walls. The dam was completed in 1966 and began delivering water downstream as well as electricity. The Glen Canyon Dam has had many environmental impacts in the region. Lake Powell contributes to evaporation and seepage losses. The dam also creates problems because it traps sediment, which usually builds sandbars and islands within the canyon. Without these, the canyon has suffered severe erosion damage. The dam also contributes to thermal pollution, which causes problems for native fish.