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(~?".~~ :::~ SUJOfAAY AND PRIllCIPAL COllCLOIIOllS Int.r-Aq.ncy study A......d Impact. ot Gl.n Canyon Daa op.rations This report presents the findings of the Glen Canyon Environmental StUdies (GCES). In December ot 1982, the Secretary of the Interior directed the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) to initiate a multi-aqency study to address the concerns ot the public and other federal and state agencies about possible neqative effects of the operations of Glen Canyon Dam on downstream environmental and recreational resources. This study was not intended nor desianed to lead directlv to chanaes in dam ocerations. Any decision to make operational changes would require feasibility studies and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance activities to assess the impact of those chanqes on the primary mandate of the Colorado River Storaqe Project (water storaqe and delivery), power qeneration, and economic considerations, as well as on the environment and recreation. .:1 ~ ~<. ;'.,; ,,;; ~ 't ~ " ;'';' ~~ The GCES studyqoals were, first, to investigate the impact of several aspects of current dam operations on the existing environmental and recreational resources in the Glen canyon National Recreation Area and Grand Canyon National Park--specifically the effect of very hiqh, very low, and stronqly fluctuating releases from the dam, Second, if adverse impacts to downstream resources were found, the study was to determine whether modifications made to dam operations, within the constraints of Colorado River Storage Project water delivery requirements, could reduce those impacts. These modifications were to be based on environmental needs and did not include a full economic, cost-benetit analysis. To accomplish the study goals, over 30 technical studies in the fields of biology, recreation, and sediment and hydrology were conducted by over 100 researchers, ,.,l :,,'., :t i'+: :J:.;~ ,,, ~ Ft; I,,', ", ;.~' l,.'" t p~, ~?, 1"- ~~ i~' ~ ~1 : t~ f?;