On our next stop on the Colorado River, we sent our producer Denise Guerra and LA Times Water

Reporter Ian James to southern Utah.

You might remember in episode one of our series, we spoke about the country's largest reservoir

Lake Mead, which currently sits three quarters empty.

Today we venture to the second largest reservoir in the United States, Lake Powell,

and the contentious dam that created it.

That's right, Gustavo. The Glen Canyon Dam was controversial even before it was built in the

1960s. Some people may know Lake Powell as a recreational area or tourist destination, but it's

also a monumental piece of infrastructure powering the southwest. There are about 240,000 homes in six states, including the

indigenous tribes, that rely on the power the dam generates. But as the Colorado River dries up,

so does Lake Powell. Environmentalists have long criticized the dam and its effects on the environment.

Some would like to see it gone altogether, while others would like to continue operating

the dam during this time of drought. There's now discussions on whether it's best to open the gates

and drain the lake so that it can fill up bleak mead. The dam was built for the purpose of storing water

and generating electricity. But with the drought and lower water levels, Ian and I wanted to see for

ourselves what was happening there and talked to the people affected.

So we took a trip to that area of the Colorado River.

And let me tell you, Gustavo, there were times it got pretty dicey.

Yeah, some parts.

There's actually one area that we heard some people describe as the gates of Mordor.

Mordor, like Lord of the Rings, Ghalm, the precious, like the place of evil and doom?

Yeah, we didn't see Ghalm, but it did feel that way, a bit forbidding.

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