Update on High Flow 

Experiments Released from 

Glen Canyon Dam

Jack Schmidt

Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center

Southwest Biological Science Center

U. S. Geological Survey

December 2013
Mainstem flow

Mainstem flow and sediment

Tributary flow and sediment

Sediment budget reach

RM 0-30 – upper Marble Canyon

RM 30-61 – lower Marble Canyon

RM 61-87 – eastern Grand Canyon

RM 87-166 – central Grand Canyon

RM 166-225 – western Grand Canyon

Between July 1 and November 17, 2012, ...

between 550,000 and 770,000 

metric tons accumulated in 

upper Marble Canyon

617,000 – 769,000 metric tons entered 

Colorado River from the Paria River

~46,000 mt accumulated in lower 

Marble Canyon

~27,000 mt

accumulated in 

eastern Grand Canyon

~170,000 mt accumulated 

in east-central Grand 

Canyon

~14,000 mt accumulated 

in west-central Grand 

Canyon

~450,000 mt

accumulated in 

western Grand Canyon 

and Lake Mead

(Preliminary Data, Do Not Cite)
0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

-10 -5 0 5 10 15 20

1996

2004

2008

2012

DISCHARGE, IN CUBIC FEET PER SECOND

TIME, IN DAYS RELATIVE TO DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL DAM OPERATIONS

(USGS gage 09380000, http://waterdata.usgs.gov/az/nwis/uv?site_no=09380000)
+ 110,000 mt

+ 190,000 mt

- 320,000 mt

Sand mass balance 

July 1, 2012, to June 30, 2013

The 2012 HFE did not fully 

mobilize the sand 

available for redistribution

/29/2014 GCMRC

may still download the unfiltered dataset, or shorten the date range of your request.

Change in Sand Mass

Zero Bias Value: -320,000 Metric Tons

Upper Uncertainty Bound: -170,000 Metric Tons

Lower Uncertainty Bound: -470,000 Metric Tons

Time

Change in Sand Stored in Reach (Metric Tons)

-500,000

-400,000

-300,000

-200,000

-100,000

0

100,000

2012-07-01 2012-10-01 2013-01-01 2013-04-01

(Preliminary Data, Do Not Cite)
+ 110,000 mt

+ 190,000 mt

Sand mass balance 

July 1, 2012, to June 30, 2013

A small amount of the 

sand delivered during the 

2012 fall season remained 

in Marble Canyon at the 

beginning of the 2013 

accounting season

- 320,000 mt

/29/2014 GCMRC

may still download the unfiltered dataset, or shorten the date range of your request.

Change in Sand Mass

Zero Bias Value: -320,000 Metric Tons

Upper Uncertainty Bound: -170,000 Metric Tons

Lower Uncertainty Bound: -470,000 Metric Tons

Change in Sand Stored in Reach (Metric Tons)

-500,000

-400,000

-300,000

-200,000

-100,000

0

100,000

2012-07-01 2012-10-01 2013-01-01 2013-04-01

(Preliminary Data, Do Not Cite)
Sandbar response to sediment-rich high 

flows • November 2012 HFE

– Images from remote cameras: 

• 52% (17 out of 33): noticeable gain

• 39% (13 out of 33): no substantial change

• 9% (3 out of 33): noticeable loss

– Sandbar surveys: 54% of sites (27 out of 50) larger in Oct. 2013 

than in Oct. 2011

(Preliminary Data, Do Not Cite)
RM 65 R (Carbon)

11/28/2012

11/17/2012 02/06/2013

05/01/2013

Newly deposited eddy bars are eroded by 

intervening flows
Long-term changes in sandbar volume in 

Marble and Grand Canyons, 1990-2013

(Preliminary Data, Do Not Cite)
Net change in eddy sandbar volume was 

increased by the 2012 HFE

(Preliminary Data, Do Not Cite)
These changes improved the long-term trend 

(Preliminary Data, Do Not Cite)
The same pattern is observed for area of eddy 

sand bars

(Preliminary Data, Do Not Cite)
Mainstem flow

Mainstem flow and 

sediment Tributary flow and 

sediment Sediment budget reach

Between July 1 and November 10, 2013, ...

140,000 metric tons were transported past the RM 30 

gage

~1,800,000 mt

entered Colorado 

River from the Paria

River

390,000 metric tons were transported past the RM 

87 gage

110,000 metric tons were transported past the RM 60 

gage

240,000 mt entered Colorado River from the Little 

Colorado River

570,000 metric tons were transported past the RM 

166 gage

520,000 metric tons were transported past the RM 

225 gage

(Preliminary Data, Do Not Cite)
2012 was a typical year for sand inputs; 2013 was an 

unusually large input year

Annual Sand Delivery from the 

Paria River to the Colorado River

2013

2012

(Preliminary Data, Do Not Cite)
1/29/2014 GCMRC

Instantaneous Sand Load (kg/s)

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

40,000

45,000

50,000

55,000

60,000

2013-07-01 2013-08-01 2013-09-01 2013-10-012013-11-01

cida.usgs.gov/gcmrc/discharge_qw_sediment/station/GCDAMP/09382000# 

End

Build Graph Download

Data

Location

2012-11-01

Time

Instantaneous Sand Load (kg/s)

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

14,000

2012-07-01 2012-08-01 2012-09-01 2012-10-012012-11-01

2012

The primary 2013

inputs came 

in floods in 

midSeptember

(Preliminary Data, Do Not Cite)
Mainstem flow

Mainstem flow and sediment

Tributary flow and sediment

Sediment budget reach

Between July 1 and November 10, 2013, ...

Between 1,300,000 and 2,300,000 mt

accumulated in upper Marble Canyon

64,000 mt accumulated in 

lower Marble Canyon

22,000 mt was eroded 

from eastern Grand 

Canyon

Upper Marble Canyon mass balance prior to other HFEs

July 1 to November 19, 2004: 350,000 – 560,000 mt

July 1, 2006 to March 3, 2008: 890,000 – 1,700,000 mt

July 1 to November 17, 2012: 550,000 – 760,000 mt

120,000 mt accumulated 

in east-central Grand 

Canyon

160,000 mt accumulated 

in west-central Grand 

Canyon

540,000 mt

accumulated in 

western Grand Canyon 

and Lake Mead

(Preliminary Data, Do Not Cite)
Zoom period plot

rge,

eet

nd

0:00

Nov-­11

2013

0:00

Nov-­12

2013

0:00

Nov-­13

2013

0:00

Nov-­14

2013

0:00

Nov-­15

2013

0:00

Nov-­16

2013

0:00

Nov-­17

2013

0:00

Nov-­18

2013

0:00

Nov-­19

2013

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

35000

2013 Controlled Flood 

release

(USGS gages 09380000, 09402500, and 09404208; http://waterdata.usgs.gov/az/nwis/rt)
12/10/13 RC0089L_20131110_1557.JPG (3888×2592)

12/10/13 RC0089L_20131118_1557.JPG (3888×2592)

137.227.239.42/Collections/sandbarshfe/RC0089L_20121118_1157.jpg 1/1

137.227.239.42/Collections/sandbarshfe/RC0089L_20121124_1156.jpg 1/

RM 9

2012

2013
RM 65 R (Carbon)

2012

2013
Sandbar response to sediment-rich high 

flows

• November 2013 HFE

– Images from remote cameras:

• 53% (21 out of 40): noticeable gain

• 30% (12 out of 40): no substantial change

• 18% (7 out of 40): noticeable loss

(Preliminary Data, Do Not Cite)
Sandbar response to sediment-rich high 

flows • November 2012 HFE

– Images from remote cameras: 

• 52% (17 out of 33): noticeable gain

• 39% (13 out of 33): no substantial change

• 9% (3 out of 33): noticeable loss

– Sandbar surveys: 54% of sites (27 out of 50) larger in Oct. 2013 

than in Oct. 2011

• November 2013 HFE

– Images from remote cameras:

• 53% (21 out of 40): noticeable gain

• 30% (12 out of 40): no substantial change

• 18% (7 out of 40): noticeable loss

(Preliminary Data, Do Not Cite)
Sandbars 10 months following 2012 high flow

Grand Canyon (RM 88-225)

10 of 16 sites larger than Oct. 2011

11 of 16 sites larger than Oct. 2008

Eastern Grand Canyon (RM 62-87)

1 of 3 sites larger than Oct. 2011

1 of 3 sites larger than Oct. 2008

Lower Marble Canyon (RM 30-62)

11 of 16 sites larger than Oct. 2011

9 of 16 sites larger than Oct. 2008

Upper Marble Canyon (RM 0-29)

5 of 7 sites larger than Oct. 2011

3 of 7 sites larger than Oct. 2008

2012 HFE

Joe Hazel, NAU, unpublished data, do not cite
Sandbars 10 months following 2012 high flow

• Sediment enriched HFEs and relatively low release volumes 

•  relatively large bars 10 months following HFE

Joe Hazel, NAU, unpublished data, do not cite
The 2013 HFE mobilized a small 

part of the supply that was 

available for redistribution

(Preliminary Data, Do Not Cite)
Sand on the bed has 

accumulated in upper 

Marble Canyon since July 1, 

2012. We are not fully 

mobilizing the sand 

available for redistribution.

http://www.gcmrc.gov/discharge_qw_sediment/reach/GCDAMP/09380000/09383050# 

Time

Change in Sand Stored in Reach (Metric Tons)

0

500,000

1,000,000

1,500,000

2,000,000

2,500,000

2012-07-01 2013-01-01 2013-07-01 2014-01-01

1/29/2014 GCMRC

Change in Sand Mass

Zero Bias Value: 390,000 Metric Tons

Upper Uncertainty Bound: 530,000 Metric Tons

Lower Uncertainty Bound: 250,000 Metric Tons

hange in Sand Stored in Reach (Metric Tons)

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

350,000

400,000

450,000

500,000

550,000

2012-07-01 2013-01-01 2013-07-01 2014-01-01

(Preliminary Data, Do Not Cite)
Year

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Rainbow trout <152 mm (fish/min.)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Lees Ferry Standardized 

Monitoring

Fall Electrofishing Surveys

Bunch, 

unpublished 

data, do not 

cite

Rainbow trout

Rainbow trout 

were at 

unprecedented 

numbers in 2012. 

Humpback chub 

are stable or 

increasing, 

Humpback chub

Population 

estimate for 

adults (age 4+)

Population 

estimates for 

juvenile recruits 

(age 2)

Martell, 

unpublished 

data, do not 

cite
Trout populations are declining in 

Glen and Marble Canyons

Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

(Preliminary Data from Korman and Yard 2013. Do Not Cite.)

Apr12 Jul12 Sep12 Jan13 Apr13 Jul13 Sep13 Jan14

GCD-LF

LF-HR

HR-BF

BF-LCR

LCR-Carbon

Trip

Abundance (millions)

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2
No evidence of trout being flushed downstream

Natal Origins (n= 2044)

-10 -5 0 5 10

Lower 2.5% = -1.7 km

Upper 97.5% = 3.9 km

Mechanical Removal (n= 1564)

Distance between release and recapture locations (km)

-10 -5 0 5 10

Lower 2.5% = -6.4 km

Upper 97.5% = 21.6 km

(Preliminary Data from Yard and Korman 2013. Do Not Cite.)