Returning Rapids News Today

Join them for the first of this series on Wednesday, March 27, at 7 PM for Wooden Boats on the Colorado River with Brad Dimock—150 Years of Questionable

Damming the Colorado River wiped out a magnificent stretch of rapids for half a century. Now, incredibly, they’re returning — on their own

Damming the Colorado River wiped out a magnificent stretch of rapids for half a century. Now, incredibly, they’re returning — on their own

The Returning Rapids Project charts a resurgent waterway and its surrounding ecosystems

It’s time to drill holes in Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River and empty Lake Powell.

Arizona cities are dependent on Lake Powell, but historic photos show Glen Canyon's ecosystems are surviving - and even thriving - as the waters deplete.

As drought siphons water from behind Glen Canyon Dam, questions resurface about whether the once-mighty reservoir should be saved or returned to nature.

Since Glen Canyon Dam was commissioned in 1964 and it first began filling, Lake Powell has never been like it is right now, at just 27% of its capacity. It’s threatening to dip below the minimum elevation needed to produce hydropower within the next year. A string of dry winters could push it to dead pool status.

Since Glen Canyon Dam was commissioned in 1964 and it first began to fill, Lake Powell has never been like it is right now, at just 27% of its capacity.

River scientists say the Colorado River has completely changed as a result of decades of droughts and the creation of the reservoirs, only made worse by climate change.