Prolonged Bug Flow Releases from Glen Canyon Dam

Glen Canyon Dam is a great help in controlling water supply for the Colorado River Basin; however, it comes with a myriad of environmental and ecological consequences. Downstream of Glen Canyon Dam there is a low diversity and population of benthic macroinvertebrates due to the thermal stratification of Lake Powell and hourly fluctuation of the river levels. Benthic macroinvertebrate populations are an important factor in the overall health of a river’s ecosystem. Ted Kennedy has proposed a flow release pattern that has been implemented this year that could result in higher production of benthic macroinvertebrates. A model was developed in Python that produces an optimal release strategy that maximizes the duration of Bug Flow release for a High, Medium, and Low release types. The High release type resulted in 21 consecutive days of Bug Flow releases, Medium resulted in 12, and Low resulted in 3.