Returning Rapids of Cataract 2021
Cataract Canyon is welcoming some of its rapids back to the flow of the river as the Colorado River is recovering from a reservoir. A crew of river runners has been there witnessing and documenting the Returning Rapids.
The River Radius Podcast · Sam Carter, Mike Dehoff, Eddyline Welding
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Show Notes
When the free running Colorado River smashes into the still water of Lake Powell, it drops its massive sediment load into Cataract Canyon and the reservoir. This has been happening since the late 1970s when Powell was approaching full pool. And for the last 20 years, Powell has been slowly and steadily decreasing its volume because there is not enough annual inflows from the Green, Gunnison and San Juan Rivers that drain the Southern Rockies into the Colorado River. As the water drops more, sediment and silt is exposed and the river keeps carving down through the mess. A group of river runners has been paying close attention to the changes as only river runners can do. They got organized and developed the Returning Rapids project to document the re-emergence of Cataract Canyon and its rapids.
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