Green River Stakeholders
Who decides how the Green River flows?
A river’s hydrograph is equivalent to the waves on the screen of a heart monitor displaying cardiovascular rhythms, representing the overall condition of a human body. In both cases, an extended flat line is a sign of disconnect and can often signify life-threatening problems.
Rivers are living entities that thrive on perpetual change — water levels are constantly fluctuating based on available precipitation, each stage of flow provides different ecosystem services that sustain biodiversity. High flows in the West generally occur in the spring when snow melts, and moves sediment to create beaches and inundate floodplains for fish to spawn in. Channel scouring is critical to transport nutrients and clear the bed of the river. Likewise, moderate and low flows are good conditions for bugs to lay eggs on wet rocks near the banks, and bugs are a central food source for fish and birds indicating a riparian ecosystems’ overall health.
America’s infatuation with large-scale dams has drastically impacted the delicate riparian equilibrium of many river systems across the country. The concept is simple really, when you place a colossal mass of concrete and steel across a river it behaves differently. First, fish and other animals are far less able to travel upstream, a major problem in coastal areas where salmon battle strong currents upriver, sometimes hundreds of miles, to spawn. Second, sediment and nutrients are trapped behind the dam leaving a sediment-starved area that erodes more sediment than it deposits, and almost always leads to degraded beaches. Finally, dams tend to store water from spring runoff and generate hydropower which both drastically change a river’s flow regime, impacting all of the aforementioned ecosystem services.
In recent decades, experiments to modify operational flow regimes have become more common for large-scale dams, Flaming Gorge Dam on the Green River completed in 1962, being one of the most comprehensive and detailed case studies. In 2006 a Record of Decision was adopted by the Bureau of Reclamation based primarily on recommendations from the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program.
While quite nuanced, this re-operation utilizes a tiered system based on the annual hydrologic conditions (wet, average, dry, etc.) and states the peak flow be released when the downstream free-flowing Yampa is at its highest annual levels. In 2012, fish biologists determined that actually releasing a peak flow following observations of endangered razorback sucker juveniles was more appropriate, as the main goal was to provide habitat to support a self-sustaining wild population of suckers near the confluence with the Yampa. Spring peak flow releases range from 4,600 cubic feet per second (cfs) to 8,600 cfs, which is really very un-impressive compared to pre-dam flows.
Flaming Gorge flow regimes since 2012 have been “hugely successful” in sustaining wild juvenile suckers as per the 2018 Recovery Program RIP RAP, an annual document released by the Recovery Program. Another report from the BLM-USU National Aquatic Monitoring Center found the last 7 years macroinvertebrate richness (essentially the abundance of bugs, in non-scientific terms) has remained “high and relatively stable over the last 7 years, compared to the previous 18 years.” This data suggests a positive response to the operational changes that have been made.
But as with all natural resource management situations, not everyone is happy with the operations.
Flaming Gorge Working Group Meeting: March 7, 2019
The white hue characterizing the mob of identical government-issued SUV’s in the parking lot of the Carbon County Event Center is the same color sandstone turns as it emerges from the depths of a dropping reservoir, a phenomenon called the “bathtub ring.” Intense drought is reducing snowpack runoff in the Colorado River Basin, consequently, coordinating reservoir operations in the Basin has become more nuanced in the past decade. It’s also part of the reason why so many people traveled to Price, Utah on a snowy March day.
Employees of the federal U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation, National Park Service; and folks representing rafting companies, anglers, non-profits, and land owners all crowded into a small mundane room around a U-shaped table. Bureau of Reclamation was facilitating a Flaming Gorge Working Group meeting to discuss this years reservoir operational schedule and to solicit proposals from different stakeholder groups regarding the timing, magnitude, and duration of how water should be released from the colossal Flaming Gorge Dam.
Flaming Gorge is the second major dam on the Green River and regulates the flow of diverse sections from the world-class tailwater trout fishery; through Brown’s Park Wildlife Refuge; to the Gates of Lodore, a highly-coveted permitted section with breathtaking red canyons and formidable whitewater in Dinosaur National Monument where the Green meets the free-flowing Yampa River. Further downstream, the Green travels through energy-rich Uintah Basin and then Desolation and Grey Canyons, a favorite river trip for many river runners.
The Stakeholders
The first group called the “Green River Stakeholders” are comprised of individuals from “communities, governments and businesses that work or reside along the Green River who are all adversely affected by the current methods employed . . . by the Bureau of Reclamation.” This group claims spring peak flows degrade private agricultural lands, impact fly fishing outfitters by “blowing-out” the water and reducing business, create dangerous scenarios for whitewater rafting, and for flooding the town of Green River Utah in 2011.
This coalition essentially wants to see reduced peak flows and sustained winter and summer flows instead — in a sense “flatlining” the hydrograph and removing flow variability. Recall the similarity to a heart-monitor — flat lines equate to poor health. In lieu of flooding natural floodplains for razorback sucker habitat, they propose utilizing private agricultural canals and ditches to rear endangered fish — yet science does not exactly back this up — the whole point is to allow razorback suckers to become self-sustaining in the wild.
Claims that flooding in Green River, Utah in 2011 were attributed to releases from Flaming Gorge is easily rebuked when you look at the massive consequential flows from tributaries such as the Yampa, White, and Duchesne Rivers. Flaming Gorge releases were a mere fraction of the over 40,000 cfs that flooded lands, and imaging a scenario without Flaming Gorge Dam in the first place paints an even worse picture for private landowners, as ultimately the Dam prevents serious flooding. The following hydrograph displays pre and post-dam peak flows, showing much larger peaks before 1962.
A second stakeholder group from the Whitewater Boating community voiced support for the current operational plan. This group is comprised of over 30 commercial river outfitters, private users and individuals who utilize recreational opportunities along the Green River. Environmental NGOs such as Living Rivers and the Colorado Riverkeeper also voiced their support for peak flows and the 2006 Record of Decision. This coalition group feels “the management of Flaming Gorge Dam should mimic historic flows as close as reasonably possible to support a healthy river ecosystem downstream of Flaming Gorge Dam.”
Contradictory to the previous group, these folks enjoy high flows because they provide crucial ecological benefits and provide excitement for whitewater rafting. Whitewater rafting is inherently dangerous at any water level, and using safety concerns as an excuse to dull a river’s flow is exceptionally short-sighted.
Both groups agreed however that sustaining mid-range flows into August would be beneficial for recreation, and had genuine concern for one another and each specific recreational sector. Another point of agreement is the necessity of the Recovery Program as a way to provide Endangered Species Act compliance for Flaming Gorge Dam, one member of the Green River Stakeholders was quoted saying: “The Recovery Program is a very beneficial thing for all of us,” he added, “because we’re not in court and we’re operating and using water in the Colorado River system because of this program.”
At the end of the day, a second rancher part of the Green River Stakeholders remarked: “we’re all way more on the same page than different pages,” which speaks to the importance of collaboration and transparency in water management. The Recovery Program was able to answer questions as to the progress of endangered fish and stakeholders felt as if their concerns were listened to. A second meeting will occur in April where the Bureau of Reclamation will present the 2019 operating plan, perhaps utilizing recommendations from stakeholders.
The economies of small rural communities near Flaming Gorge merit much consideration when making management decisions, however, calling foul towards the Bureau of Reclamation when portions of your riverside land get flooded exudes entitlement and should not preclude the importance of a somewhat natural flow. Settling on the bank of a river has clear risks and rewards — I imagine residents in Oklahoma who are currently experiencing unprecedented flooding wish they had the security Flaming Gorge Dam provides. Balancing the needs of every stakeholder — the fish included — is a daunting task. The Bureau of Reclamation provided a very thoughtful environment for information sharing and I commend them for providing a venue for well-developed proposals to be shared.
