Scientific findings about water flows on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon were ignored by the Interior Dept. to benefit power and water interests, according to a story in today's Washington Post. The information came out as part of a lawsuit by environmental groups. [right, high flow experiment, March 2008. Credit, US Bur. of Reclamation]
The Post got a copy of a January 15 memo from Grand Canyon National Park Superintendent Steve Martin, in which he wrote, "The government's brief as presented continues to misinterpret key scientific findings related to the humpback chub, status of downstream resources in Grand Canyon, and the need for the Secretary to acknowledge [National Park Service] authorities and responsibilities to protect resources under [National Park Service] administration."