The Colorado River will run wild Wednesday morning, flooding as it did years ago before Glen Canyon Dam was built and Lake Powell filled. For 60 hours, starting slowly tonight and ramping up to full force Wednesday before winding down on Friday, federal water managers will release some 202,000 acre- feet of water to race down the river through the Grand Canyon. That's as much water as metro Denver uses in a year. The big rush will transform the river below the dam, creating massive waves that will redistribute sediment, shove tons of sand around and make this hotly contested stream a better breeding ground for a 3 million-year-old fish species known as the chub. The flood also will create better beaches for rafters and campers who flock to the scenic Grand Canyon each year.

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