But when the gates of Glen Canyon Dam closed in March 1963, the waters of Lake Powell quickly began to fill the canyons and transform the riverine environment. The Grand Canyon immediately began to feel the effects of the constrained and modified river, much like a human whose flow of blood from the heart is restricted. Seventeen years after storage began, the waters of Lake Powell reached the top of the dam and the reservoir was full. From the Bureau of Reclamation's perspective a great triumph had been achieved. To the fish, birds and Native Americans who lived with the river, it was a dark day.
Dams have limited life spans, both structurally and economically.
When a dam has lived its useful physical and economic life, become an ecological burden or completed its original objective, it is time to make restoration of the river a priority. Today we are at that point with Glen Canyon Dam. Last October a symposium was held in Arizona to raise these issues in a public forum. At the meeting, David Brower, former Executive Director of the Sierra Club, and representatives of the Glen Canyon Institute challenged the audience to support a move to drain Lake Powell. The response from the 1,600 people in attendance was resoundingly positive.