How do we address the issue of hydroelectric loss?
The power plant at Glen Canyon Dam currently generates
1,300 MW(megawatts) of electricity when fully operational. This
represents enough power for about 350,000 homes, or about three
percent of the supply in the six states served by the facility.
At the present time, there is a surplus of power on the Colorado
Plateau, and more power plants going online within the western region,
thus Glen Canyon's power is not needed. Moreover, currently available
energy conservation and efficiency programs could easily replace
the power lost from a decommissioned Glen Canyon Dam with no cost
to the environment. Lastly, the proposal to decommission a large
hydro facility for restoration objectives is far from unprecedented.
The US Army Corps of Engineers is proposing to decommission four
major dams on the Lower Snake River in Washington State that collectively
generate 2.5 times Glen Canyon Dam's capacity.
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