The Bureau of Reclamation announced Monday that recently uncovered damage to the Glen Canyon Dam will require it to reduce flows through portions of the structure as it looks to repair the site and prevent future problems at one of the nation’s major reservoirs.
Wayne Pullan, the Bureau of Reclamation’s Upper Colorado Basin regional director, said that the agency — which is responsible for delivering water to Arizona, California and Nevada — is investigating damage to the lowest level of pipes at the dam, four structures known as the “River Outlet Works.”
“In nearly 60 years of operation in Glen Canyon Dam, we didn’t need to address the issues that we’re facing now,” Pullan said in a news conference. “We didn’t need to consider the possible sustained operation of the River Outlet Works at low elevations. “
Water flows through several exit points on the Glen Canyon Dam, which holds back the Lake Powell reservoir, including a hydropower facility and the River Outlet Works.
