Environment
Although the Green River is dammed and controlled, sections of the river still have the characteristics of a wild river. This is due to the Yampa River feeding into the Green at Echo Park. The Yampa is one of the last unregulated rivers in the west. Having extreme highs and lows is important because it affects the amount of sediment in the river, which, in turn, creates beaches and alters the riparian zone. It also affects water temperature. Native Fish adapted to this warmer, silt-laden water. When the dams went in, the Native Fish declined. Today the flows off of Flaming Gorge Dam are controlled to more closely mimic the flow and temperature of natural rivers in order to save endangered native fish. Some argue that we can have both a dammed river and a river that supports the native environment; while others say dams create an unsustainable ecosystem.
The debate over damming has been going on for decades. In the early 1950’s a dam was proposed on the Green in Echo Park in the middle of Dinosaur National Monument. The Sierra Club ran a grass-roots campaign taking people down the river and writing letters to Congress. The dam was defeated, and the grass-roots environmental movement was launched. The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act was an outgrowth of the debate. Selected rivers or sections of rivers can be protected for possessing “remarkable scenic, recreational, geologic, fish and wildlife, historic or cultural values.” Development can occur along a protected river depending on whether the section is classified as wild, scenic, or recreational. Today, the Virgin River is the only river in Utah that has this protection.
