Crews are working to secure a half-million-pound boulder which is loose and in danger of breaking off the canyon wall at Glen Canyon Dam near Page, said officials with the Bureau of Reclamation's Upper Colorado Region.
The Bureau of Reclamation temporarily closed off access to a river raft launch near the dam Friday afternoon for this reason.
Professionals are in the process of securing the 50-foot-high, 30-foot-wide and 4-foot-thick slab to the canyon wall behind it, said Chris Watt with the bureau.
Watt says crews have been keeping a close eye on the giant slab for a while, and decided last week it was time to start securing it. They are doing so by drilling 6- to 8-foot bolts through the slab, securing it to the canyon wall behind it.
Crews were off for Labor Day weekend, but will be back in action early Tuesday morning.
Watt said the boulder doesn't pose a danger to residents or the dam itself. He said a machine shop that fixes parts for the dam's power plant is the only thing that might be harmed should the slab fall.
Crews are hoping to have the rock secured by the first week of October and lift rafting restrictions.
