Federal law requires fees be paid whether or not dams are generating power. Photo: Glen Canyon Dam/Bureau of Reclamation
By Christopher Conover | Arizona Public Media
Lake Powell is nearing water levels that will prevent the Glen Canyon Dam from generating electricity. Officials with the federal Bureau of Reclamation, which runs the dam, said there is a 1 in 4 chance that could happen next year.
If the dam cannot generate power customers could face an even larger financial pinch.
” Under reclamation law, these customers are still on the hook for paying capital and operations and maintenance costs even when the dam can’t generate electricity,” said Sen. Mark Kelly in a Senate hearing this week.
A Kelly-backed bill would waive those fees if the dam is not generating electricity.
