Letter: Pulling the plug on Lake Powell and Lake Mead

I appreciate the letter expressing concern for the Colorado River, I really do ("Save the Colorado River," Reader's Forum, June 2). It's truly beautiful. It cut out the Grand Canyon. Awesome. It runs through countless miles of otherwise barren wasteland. Super. But I wonder about the "tremendous threat" called the Glen Canyon dam. The 1.2 million acres of fresh water and 1,021.248 megawatts generated capacity kind of threat. Such a hazard apparently needs to go. Why? Evaporation, seepage, sediment and energy experts.

OK then, let's beautify the desert by creating the biggest bathtub-ring canyon in the world. Let's let the river flow more freely into the massive fountains and swimming pools of frosty Las Vegas so that water doesn't evaporate. All this to make sure that the silt and sediment can get to Mexico easier. And, it's a good thing no one enjoys outdoor recreation in the West, otherwise we'd have trouble pulling the plug.

And do we drain Lake Mead too? More water seepage and sediment deposits there.

Now seriously, are we really too busy upstream to notice the beauty and utility of these lakes themselves?

Tyler Wigren

Bountiful