Dear HCN,
Draining Utah’s Lake
Powell isn’t such a silly notion (HCN, 11/10/97). The river is
filling the reservoir with sediment, and in the not-too-dim future
much of the reservoir will become little more than a muddy plain.
Once the reservoir contains more mud than water, the dam’s
contribution to power production also will
dwindle.
Nonetheless, one of the most significant
barriers to draining the reservoir is how to pay for it. In this
politically charged era of tight budgets and suspicious interest
groups, opponents will surely throw up the expense as one of their
first and most obvious objections.
The two most
obvious and costly economic dislocations that come to mind are,
first, how to accommodate the small businesses supported by the
multimillion-dollar recreation industry on that sun-drenched
reservoir, and second, how to replace the electrical power provided
by the Glen Canyon Dam’s generating station. Neither is small
potatoes.
We need lots of money to pull this off.
Therefore, I hereby commit $100 to any fund earmarked for the
reservoir’s demise. In fact, if professional engineering studies
conclude that the dam’s removal makes sense, I’ll commit $200.
Hundreds may line up to volunteer their services if outright
destruction of the dam is proposed. Maybe we can get some of the
militia movement involved as a training
exercise.
Sure, a hundred bucks isn’t much. But
if somebody will organize a genuine money-gathering event, tens of
thousands of Americans will contribute. If only a million Americans
donate as much, we can raise a cool $100 million, which will go a
long way toward soothing displaced powerboat salespersons and
managing the cost of explosives. I hope that the better-heeled
among us will contribute even more. Who knows, maybe we can get Ted
Turner or Bill Gates to bankroll the whole shebang. Let’s begin. My
pen is poised to write my
check.
David
Stiller
Boulder,
Colorado
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Bye-bye, Glen Canyon Dam.
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