Glen Canyon Dam received the 3rd International Milestone High Concrete Dam Project Award, which honors engineering achievements in high concrete dam technology. The award was presented to the Bureau of Reclamation during the United States Society on Dams’ (USSD) annual conference in San Diego.
“I am honored to accept this award on behalf of Reclamation,” said Reclamation’s Upper Colorado Basin Assistant Regional Director Katrina Grantz. “This award recognizes Reclamation’s contribution to engineering excellence in the design and construction of large concrete dams and it raises awareness about technique, progress, and the strategic importance of dams and reservoirs.”
The International Milestone High Concrete Dam Project Award is jointly organized by the USSD and the Chinese National Committee on Large Dams (CHINCOLD). Milestone projects are nominated and chosen by members of an international expert panel based on selection criteria including implementation of outstanding technical innovations, good performance, environmental and social aspects, and local contributions of the project. Reclamation’s Hoover Dam was the recipient of the inaugural award in 2011.
At 710 feet high, Glen Canyon Dam is the second-largest concrete-arch dam in the United States. Glen Canyon is the key unit of the Colorado River Storage Project and its reservoir, Lake Powell, is one of two main storage reservoirs of the Colorado River system. Lake Powell can store 25 million acre-feet of water and serves as a ‘bank account’ of water that is drawn on in times of drought to provide water to approximately 40 million people, irrigate 5.5 million acres of agricultural land, and generate up to 1,320 megawatts of hydropower electricity for an estimated 3 million people.
However, 23 years of drought amplified by climate change has left Glen Canyon Dam currently operating at its lowest elevation since the initial filling of Lake Powell in the 1960s. The reservoir is at risk of dropping below the minimum power pool elevation of 3,490 feet, which is the lowest point Glen Canyon Dam can generate hydropower. Reclamation is working with the Upper Division states of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming on a drought response operations plan to help boost Lake Powell’s elevation by sending additional water from the upstream initial units of the CRSP. The plan is expected to be finalized and ready for implementation by May 2022.
“This award is a great reminder of the ingenuity and determination behind the engineering and construction of Glen Canyon Dam. We continue our work today with that same grit and collaborative spirit as we work with our partners to protect the Colorado River system,” said Grantz. “We are honored and uplifted by this award.”
Other recipients of this year’s award include the Jinping I and Xiangjiaba dams in China and Okutadami Dam in Japan.
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