Colorado River Update: We are in the battle to Save The Colorado River!

September 17, 2020
Gary Wockner
River News

Hi Friends of the Colorado River!

It is your support that keeps us working! Please donate online here: http://savethecolorado.org/donate/

Here’s an update on our river-protection work in 2020.

First, our battle to stop the Gross Dam expansion in Boulder County, Colorado, is moving forward fast and furious. Denver Water, which is trying to build the tallest dam in the history of Colorado, will now be forced to go through the local Boulder County permit process. This permit will play out through the Fall and Winter of 2020/21. Our attorneys and scientists are excited to engage in this battle, and to defend the people of Boulder County against this massive dam proposal.

Also, our federal lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for giving a permit to Denver Water is continuing to play out. We expect to be filing briefs this Fall arguing that the Army Corps violated the National Environmental Policy Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act. We will enforce those federal laws to the strictest letter, making sure that everything can be done to stop construction of this project.

Second, we are locked in a bitter battle with hydropower companies over proposed dams near the Grand Canyon. Three projects have applied for permits with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and we have “intervened” in all three permit processes. Working with colleague groups, we stand in a united front against these proposed dams to protect the side canyons around Grand Canyon National Park and also protect the flow of water through the Grand Canyon.

The area around the Grand Canyon is a sun-drenched desert, and it makes ZERO SENSE to building hydropower instead of building solar. Damming beautiful, pristine canyons to generate electricity is a 100-year old idea. We are proud to work to stop it and force 21^st century solutions to energy needs.

Third, we are LEADING THE FIGHT against a proposed dam in and near the Holy Cross Wilderness in Eagle County Colorado. The project would build a dam that would destroy pristine wetlands and send nearly 10 billion gallons of new Colorado River water over to the sprawling Denver metropolis every year. We have filed stinging comments with the U.S. Forest Service and are leading a coalition of groups to stop the project, represented by the University of Denver Law Clinic.

Fourth, we have locked arms with colleagues in Utah against the proposed Lake Powell Pipeline. The ridiculous project would take a vast amount of water out of the river to flood lawns in Southwest Utah. We’ve joined groups filing comments with the Bureau of Reclamation, and we are committed to helping to stop the Pipeline.

There are now TWENTY SIX – that’s right 26 – proposals for new dams/diversions/pipelines in the Colorado River basin that would further drain and deplete the river. Save The Colorado is the only organization that tracks them all, and fights to stop them wherever we can. We are either leading the fight or supporting the fight against every project.

All of our other legal fights are still moving forward including:

Federal lawsuit against the Windy Gap Firming Project in Colorado.
Federal lawsuit against the operating plan for Glen Canyon Dam.

Finally, we are rowing even faster on the podcast circuit. I was delighted to be the guest on the Green Roots Podcast last month discussing the REAL STORY about hydroelectric dams and the environmental movement. On this podcast, titled, “The Ecological and Human Rights Consequences of Hydroelectric Dams”, I spoke with producer Josh Schlossberg about fighting dams on the Colorado River and across the planet.