Lees Ferry Outfitters Irate Over Grand Canyon's Big Flush

Even though the well-publicized release of massive amounts of water from the Glen Canyon dam is scheduled to last only three days, local outfitters question the timing of the release, which began yesterday and was covered on last night’s NBC Nightly News and today’s New York Times. “With guides not going out during the flooding, which will stretch from Wednesday into midday Saturday, most of the weekend will be lost. That’s a loss of $425 a day for each guide, [Terry] Gunn said. The company’s hotel, restaurant and boat rentals also would suffer. ‘Every one of the businesses in Marble Canyon strongly opposed the timing of this,’ said Gunn’s husband, Terry, co-owner and a guide. ‘This is right in the beginning of the high season. It’s sort of like asking retailers to close a week before Christmas.'” Terry Tang of the Associated Press.
For more on the pros and cons of the release, which scientists hope will restore some of the natural sedimentation in the lower Colorado, check out the USAToday article which includes links to several stories on the subject.