Dear Secretary Norton,
The dropping water levels at Lake Powell reservoir on the Colorado River have unveiled spectacular features not seen in decades. Emerging cultural, biological, and scenic resources not found anywhere else on Earth are now threatened to be unnecessarily flooded once again. As it now stands, precious features such as Cathedral in the Desert and Fort Moqui will go right back under 25-50 feet of water during May and June--only to be uncovered once again later this year. This fluctuation of water levels is unnecessary and destructive to emerging cultural, historical, and scenic sites in Glen Canyon. The National Resources Conservation Service predicts 8.6 million acre feet (maf) Upper Basin runoff between April-July 2005. This spring, 6.4 maf will be used, evaporate, or be released to downstream users, leaving 2.2 maf surplus, which can easily be stored in the Upper Basins 2.4 maf of available storage, or at Lake Meads 11.1 maf available storage.
We ask you to please urge the Bureau of Reclamation to protect these priceless treasures by storing the \"surplus\" runoff this spring somewhere else.
Please protect these priceless resources \"unimpaired for future generations.\"
Thank you very much for your time and we look forward to your response.