Federal water officials plan an experimental flow on the Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam to improve egg-laying conditions for aquatic insects.
They’re the primary food source for fish, birds and bats in the river, and officials hope the Macroinvertebrate Production Flow will help identify whether such flows improve the abundance of the insect populations.
The flows will last through the end of August and will include steady, low weekend releases from Glen Canyon Dam and normal fluctuating releases for hydropower on weekdays.
Officials say recreational users on the river will likely notice steady flows as they move downstream through the Lees Ferry Reach and Grand Canyon.
They also say it’s designed to meet water deliver requirements and minimize the negative effects on hydropower production.
U.S. Geological Survey officials say the flows are especially import during the current extreme drought and past experiments in 2018, 2019 and 2020 were beneficial to the river’s ecosystem.