Environmental Science, 10th Edition (Cunningham)

Chapter 17: Water Use and Management

GE Exercise: Glen Canyon Dam

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To continue:
- Make sure you have the Google Earth software installed and running.
- Copy the following latitude and longitude and paste into the "Fly to" field under the Search tab.
- Hit "Enter" for Google Earth to take you to the specified coordinates, then come back here and read the following overview.

Latitude/Longitude: 36.9385, -111.481

Overview: Glen Canyon Dam, p. 388

Construction on this dam started in 1956 and was completed eight years later. The site was chosen as an alternative to dams in the Grand Canyon just downstream. It flooded Glenn Canyon, which many environmentalists considered the most beautiful of all the Colorado River Canyons, to create Lake Powell. It was built to generate electricity and store water for later use, but, because of seepage into the porous sandstone and evaporation in the dry desert air, the dam actually loses thousands of acre-feet of water every year. It also blocks the flow of sediment into the Grand Canyon that is eliminating sand bars and changing the flow of the river to the detriment of both native species and water recreation. Former director of the Sierra Club, David Brower, called the decision not to oppose this dam the biggest mistake of his career. Other environmentalists have speculated about removing the dam (see The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey). During the extended drought in the early 2000s, the surface of Lake Powell dropped by as much as 50 m (about 165 ft). If the water level drops much more, the dam will be unable to generate electricity.

1
In what state is the dam?
A)Utah
B)Arizona
C)Colorado
D)Nevada
E)California
2
In what state is the bulk of Lake Powell?
A)Utah
B)Arizona
C)Colorado
D)Nevada
E)California
3
What river does the dam block?
A)The Utah
B)The Arizona
C)The Colorado
D)The Nevada
E)The California
4
What national park lies downstream?
A)Bryce Canyon
B)Zion
C)Snow Canyon
D)Grand Canyon
E)Escalante
5
The other major dam in this region of the Colorado River is the Hoover Dam. Try searching for the Hoover Dam using the GoogleEarth search function. What lake does it create?
A)Lake Victoria
B)Lake Mead
C)Grand Canyon Lake
D)Colorado Lake
E)Hoover Lake
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