Why was Glen Canyon Dam built?
Glen Canyon Dam was built for the primary purpose of water storage and delivery for the Lower Basin. The Colorado River Compact of 1922 established the legal requirement for the upper basin to deliver 75 Million Acre Feet to the lower basin over a rolling ten-year average. A treaty with Mexico in 1944 increased the requirement to 82.3 MAF every ten years. The upper basin Congressional Delegation also pushed for the construction of Glen Canyon Dam as a “cash register” dam, with hydropower revenue to help fund dozens of smaller water development projects around the upper basin.
