The Times, 7 March

The Grand Canyon is being flooded with 300,000 gallons of water per second in an attempt to save a rare fish, the humpback chub from extinction. This is a controversial plan, since it involves emptying water from Arizona’s drought stricken Lake Powell reservoir.

The dam, which is upstream from the Grand Canyon, provides hydroelectric power to about 650,000 people and has come under strain as more Americans have moved to the southwest for the relatively low taxes and cheap real estate.
Some locals argue that the dam can barely afford to lose any more water, and therefore tens of millions of dollars of hydroelectric generating capacity, to save a single species of fish. Essentially, the humpback chub is facing a fight to the death with Americans’ need for air-conditioners and plasma TVs. For the time being, at least, it seems that the chub is winning.