Federal officials opened the floodgates at Glen Canyon Dam on Monday, sending water rushing along the Colorado River winding through the Grand Canyon. The five-day flood is meant to mimic conditions of the river before the dam was built. The dam now keeps most sediment from traveling downstream.
Water managers and federal officials say increasing sediment will improve beaches for campers along the river and breeding grounds for the endangered humpback chub. Trout fishing should improve at Lees Ferry, about 16 miles downstream from the dam.
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