The Grand Canyon Regional Intertribal Intergenerational Stewardship Expedition (RIISE) is accepting applications from young people ages 16-20 who identify as members of one of the associated Native American tribes of the Grand Canyon.
Resource Issue: Water
Scientists developed this dashboard to help explain mine shaft flooding at Canyon uranium mine and heavy metal levels in water pumped out of the mine shaft.
Since late 2016, more than 66 million gallons of groundwater have been pumped out of a controversial uranium mine, Canyon Mine (renamed Pinyon Plain Mine), near Grand Canyon National Park. The water shows high levels of heavy metals, including uranium, arsenic, and lead, according to data reported to the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. Download […]
In late 2016, miners at Canyon Mine (subsequently renamed Pinyon Plain Mine) near Grand Canyon National Park pierced groundwater and water began rushing into the mine shaft. Since then, more than 66 million gallons of water containing high levels of heavy metals including uranium, arsenic, and lead have been pumped out of the mine into […]
Canyon Mine, also known as Pinyon Plain Mine, a uranium mine near the south rim of Grand Canyon National Park, has been flooding with groundwater since late 2016, according to data reported to the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. Water pumped out of the mine has shown high levels of heavy metals including uranium, arsenic, and lead. […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE White Mesa, UT—Bills of lading recently uncovered in a shipping database reveal that Energy Fuels Resources imported more than 275,000 pounds of radioactive materials from the Japan Atomic Energy Agency. The materials appear to have been trucked to the company’s controversial White Mesa uranium mill, a mile from Bears Ears National Monument […]
The rules for managing the Colorado River expire at the end of 2026. There isn’t enough water in the Colorado River to go around. New rules are desperately needed to sustain the river for people and the environment. Learn about current water use in the Colorado River Basin › Download the two-page PDF ›
Below Glen Canyon Dam, nonnative fish like smallmouth bass are threatening imperiled humpback chub in the Grand Canyon. Get the facts › Download the PDF ›
Completed in 1963, Glen Canyon Dam was designed to operate with a full reservoir behind it. But climate change and rising demand of water across the thirsty West are shrinking Lake Powell. It’s time to address the dam’s design flaws. Learn more about the future of Glen Canyon Dam › Download the 2-page PDF ›
The Grand Canyon is more than its geologic past and more than a bucket list destination. Today, 11 tribes maintain cultural connections to the Grand Canyon. Hear firsthand from people whose cultures, worldviews, and livelihoods are inextricably tied to the Grand Canyon region. View the booklet › Download the nine-page PDF of the booklet ›
On May 20, 2024, the Grand Canyon Trust submitted comments on the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality’s proposed rulemaking to update aquifer water-quality standards that are out of compliance with Arizona law. As of that date, the state of Arizona had no aquifer water quality standard for uranium, for example. The Trust urged state regulators, […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PHOENIX, AZ – Conservation groups filed a motion to intervene yesterday in defense of President Biden’s designation of Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument in Arizona. The Arizona legislature and others filed lawsuits in February attempting to overturn the monument designation and attacking the Antiquities […]
On April 25, 2024, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) denied the preliminary permit application for the Big Canyon Pumped Storage Project, which would have dammed Big Canyon, a tributary canyon to the Little Colorado River Gorge, mere miles from Grand Canyon National Park. Big Canyon Pumped Storage Project Read the denial › See a map […]
Pinyon and juniper forests cover much of the American Southwest, as this map shows. Download your free copy › Download a PDF copy ›
Pumped storage hydropower dams proposed on the Navajo Nation. “X” denotes project applications denied by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Download your free copy › Download a PDF copy ›
Pumped storage hydropower dam proposals and past coal mining threaten Black Mesa, on the Navajo Nation, as you can see on this map. Download your free copy › Download a PDF copy ›
On March 22, 2024, the Grand Canyon Trust submitted comments on the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the Glen Canyon Dam Long-term Experimental and Management Plan. Reclamation proposed revising the 2016 Record of Decision for the Long-term Experimental and Management Plan to modify releases from Glen Canyon Dam to prevent […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Flagstaff, AZ — The Grand Canyon Regional Intertribal Intergenerational Stewardship Expedition (RIISE) is accepting applications from young people ages 16-20 who identify as members of one of the associated tribes of the Grand Canyon for its third annual free nine-day Colorado River rafting trip through the Grand Canyon July 15-23, 2024. Hosted by […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Flagstaff, AZ — The Grand Canyon Trust is now accepting applications for its 2024 LeaderShift Scholars program. Up to 12 LeaderShift scholars will be selected for a free nine-day immersive outdoor environmental justice advocacy training across the Colorado Plateau, August 10-18, 2024. LeaderShift scholarships include $150 stipends, meals, and transportation, with gear-lending available. […]
Tribes have formally opposed a dozen pumped storage hydroelectric projects proposed on or near Native lands. Download your copy of this map › Curious about pumped storage? Here’s how it works › Download your copy of this map ›
Developers have proposed several pumped storage hydroelectric projects on or near Native lands across the Colorado Plateau. Through this interactive map, learn more about each proposal, including the number of reservoirs, proposed water sources, and more. Curious about pumped storage? Here’s how it works › View in full screen (suggested for mobile)
A number of pumped storage hydroelectric projects have been proposed on or near Native lands across the Colorado Plateau. This map shows how much water each project would require to initially fill its reservoirs. Download your copy of this map › Curious about pumped storage? Here’s how it works › Download your copy of this map ›
On December 11, 2023, the Grand Canyon Trust submitted comments on the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s Revised Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for Near-term Colorado River Operations dated October 2023. Reclamation proposed to revise the 2007 Interim Guidelines for the operation of Glen Canyon and Hoover dams for the period between 2023 and 2026 for […]
On November 17, 2023, the Navajo Nation filed a motion to intervene in the preliminary permit proceeding for the proposed Western Navajo No. 2 hydropower project. According to the preliminary-permit application, the planned dam on the Navajo Nation would be located near Page, Arizona, and utilize water from Lake Powell. Read the motion › Download the […]
On October 31, 2023, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) accepted an application by Nature and People First, a company organized by a French entrepreneur, for a preliminary permit for a proposed hydroelectric project called Chuska Mountain Pumped Storage Project on Navajo Nation land. According to the preliminary-permit application, the project would consist of seven reservoirs […]
How does Glen Canyon Dam work? Water levels at Lake Powell determine how much water can pass through Glen Canyon Dam into the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. A minumum amount of water is required for water releases and power generation. The depth of Lake Powell is measured as the elevation above sea level. View […]
Heavy snowfall blanketed the western U.S. over the 2022-2023 winter. This map shows the cumulative depth of snow. The snow water equivalent — the amount of water contained in the snow — was above normal in Arizona, Utah, and western Colorado. View the map › Download your copy ›
How much water is in Lake Powell? The water level in Lake Powell depends on how much water comes in from river flows, and how much water goes out every year. This graph shows total monthly inflow into Lake Powell for the months of May, June, and July from 2000-2023. The black line shows how […]
High Colorado River flows are, in part, the result of heavy snowfall that blanket the mountains throughout the Colorado River Basin. This graph shows the maximum flow recorded in the Colorado River below Glenwood Springs, Colorado, during the months of May, June, and July from 1999-2023. View the graph › Download the PDF ›
The Grand Canyon Trust and Deseret Power signed a settlement agreement over a sizable water right (15 cubic-feet per second, or 3.5 billion gallons per year). Deseret Power acquired the water right from Enefit American Oil Co., an Estonian state-owned oil shale company aiming to build a massive oil shale mining and processing facility in northern […]