There will likely be more high-flow experiments. Timing will, again, be critical to success.

"It's an incredible balance," Hahn said.

Exactly where this geographically distant experiment fits in with the balance of mankind is easily evident to those involved.

To Matthew Andersen, a supervisory biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, the Grand Canyon National Park is a natural resource that is and should be treasured. What happens below the dam, about 200 miles away from Cataract Canyon in Utah, where the Colorado River becomes Lake Powell, impacts that natural resource.

"That's a value to everyone," Andersen said. "How much is a functioning Grand Canyon worth to them?"

The dam isn't going away. So, people like Balsom say they have become stewards of everything below the dam along the river and through the Grand Canyon National Park.

"It's the only one we have," she said about the park. "This is a legacy we're passing on."

---

E-mail: sspeckman@desnews.com