A Phoenix-based company has applied for preliminary permits for two proposed hydroelectric projects on Navajo Nation lands mere miles from the national park boundary. Both would flood a pristine section of the Little Colorado River Gorge, muddy its distinctive turquoise-blue waters, destroy areas sacred to Native peoples, and threaten the habitat of the already endangered humpback chub.
Public outcry from Grand Canyon advocates defeated the proposed Marble Canyon Dam in the 1960s. We can do it again. It's time we raise our voices to stop dams from altering the Little Colorado River forever.
The confluence of the Colorado and Little Colorado rivers is sacred to many Native peoples in the region and awe-inspiring to all. These proposed dam projects, like the not-so-distant failed Escalade tramway, threaten to disrupt the spiritual and cultural practices of people who have called the Grand Canyon home since time immemorial. One of the projects (the Little Colorado River Pumped Storage Project), would flood a Hopi sacred site, a place where the Hopi people believe they emerged into this world.
If built, these dams on the Little Colorado River would:
From mines, to tourist developments, to proposed dams, profiteers have been trying to make a buck off the canyon since the 1800s. The company behind these proposed hydroelectric projects claims they'd be an economic boon to Navajo and Arizona economies, bringing approximately $3 billion in investment to stimulate jobs and growth. But it appears the company may not have yet consulted with the Navajo Nation, much less with other impacted tribes, about its plans.
An industrial cacophony would kill the quiet symphony of aquamarine waters cascading through travertine pools.
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