But in a statement, she said, The Upper Basin States are working collaboratively with the Bureau of Reclamation to draft a 2022 Drought Response Operations Plan outlining potential releases from Upper Basin reservoirs in an effort to protect critical elevations at Lake Powell. Since the beginning of water year 2000, total Colorado Basin storage has experienced year to year increases and decreases in response to wet and dry hydrology, ranging from a high of 94 percent of capacity at the beginning of 2000 to the now current level of 33 percent of capacity at the beginning of water year 2023. Lund said he expects water use in the basin to have "capped out," but the reservoir can't continue to supply water at the pace in which the area consumes it. Along its route, the river passes through an elaborate water-management system designed to tame the yearly floods from spring snowmelt and to provide a reliable supply of water for residents as far away as California. Lake Powell water level at Wahweap Marina in September 2021 | Photo by Bureau of Reclamation, St. George News . The reservoir's levels rise after consistent rain or snowpack melt in the area. The model is based on weather conditions over a thirty-year span. It will be among the lowest years of generation ever, said Nick Williams, power manager for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamations Upper Colorado River Region in an interview last week. A 59% flow into Powell translates to about 3.8 million acre-feet. 8_9dyB`n`` +30|@,6a # In January, following the wet December Moser noted, the NOAA forecast called for 98% of the 30-year average to reach Powell. We maintain a strict editorial firewall between our funders and our journalism. google_ad_height = 600; He began his journalism career in New Hampshire, then moved West and became a reporter at the Lafayette News. google_color_link = "0000FF"; Although developing snowpack in the area is "fairly good" and might stave off dead pool in Lake Powell for another year or so, according to Lund, the solution lies with people conserving water. Graphical view of Lake Powell water data. Last July, to protect the 3,525 buffer zone, Reclamation ordered emergency water releases from three reservoirs in the Upper Colorado River Basin. Click for . The forecast estimated that the amount of water that will flow into Lake Powell this spring and summer will be about 59% of average, based on 30 years of data from 1991 to 2020. . From there, a swing to the northeast delivers boats into Lake Powell's main artery. Correction: This article has been corrected to indicate that Lake Powell began filling 59 years ago, not 60 years, as the original article stated. Utahs Flaming Gorge, Colorados Blue Mesa and New Mexicos Navajo. google_ad_height = 600; n$L{Z. @) .=] j Bvq2 4=B4[YCO@p/e`5[ #("A3?M|Cd(Jje(B_il:.\7m=.{CZ&&q5O}NOB6jGptUEN1Dh'6dW30oLqmt1W#F/qy<5aJ5 LuQmB(JD'4z`9q#v k[ T The period 2000-2022 is the lowest 23-year period since the closure of Glen Canyon Dam in 1963, with an average unregulated inflow of 8.29 maf, or 93 percent of the 30-year average (1991-2020). hb```)," a greater portion of the future hydrologic and climatic uncertainty becomes known and By Anna Skinner On 1/18/23 at 4:42 PM EST. Printable Version Gas Prices on Lake Detailed Map of Powell 15 Day Weather Forecast For more information on the tools we use, consult, Upper Colorado Mainstem Specific Site Forecasts. google_color_link = "0000FF"; Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. google_color_text = "000000"; Under a Drought Contingency Plan adopted in 2019, approximately 500 thousand acre-feet (kaf) of water will come from Flaming Gorge Reservoir, located approximately 455 river miles upstream of Lake Powell. 04:12 - Source: CNN Another 480 kaf will be left in Lake Powell by reducing Glen Canyon Dams annual release volume from 7.48 maf to 7.0 maf, as outlined in the 2007 Interim Guidelines that control operations of Glen Canyon Dam and Hoover Dam. Click for Details, Current Snowpack Conditions for Upper Colorado Basin. 2018 brought some relief after a wet winter. Few expected to ever see this drop in hydropower production, let alone consider what to do if Glen Canyon were to cease electricity production entirely. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. Changes in the northeastern reaches of Lake Powell are documented in this series of natural-color images taken by the Landsat series of satellites between 1999 and 2021. She can be reached at 720-398-6474, via email atjerd@wateredco.orgor @jerd_smith. Now, though, we know that its not firm, its not reliable, and its coming at a much higher cost.. The water levels at Lake Powell have dropped around 100 feet in the last three years. Water levels in Narrow Canyon had dropped enough to show canyon floor features not visible in earlier images. By 2002, the lake level had dropped far enough that the exposed canyon walls created a pale outline around the lake. The bureau, in consultation with tribal nations and the seven Colorado River Basin states, decided to keep nearly 500,000 acre-feet of water in Lake Powell that had originally been planned to be released to the Lower Basin states of Nevada, Arizona and California this year. WEco is funded by multiple donors. //2006-10-04: news By Leia Larsen. SW Satellite Weather google_color_url = "426C95"; Its better than last year, but well just have to see what the next two to four weeks holds for precipitation.. As of Tuesday, February 28th, 2023 where elevation was 3521.04', Copyright Summit Technologies, Inc.1999 - 2023Site Views Today: 0Page Views Today: 0, The 28 tracked reservoirs above Lake Powell are currently at 58.69% of capacity. At the same time, power producers are gearing up to craft a fallback plan for extending hydropower production at Glen Canyon Dam if water levels continue to fall. LAKE POWELL, Utah Lake Powell water levels continue to drop, and a new report released by the Bureau of Reclamation projects the possibility America's . Additionally, there are possible inflow scenarios that would result in reservoir elevations falling outside the ranges indicated in these reports. (2007). The annual release volume from Lake Powell during water year 2023 will be 7.77 maf under the Lower Elevation Balancing Tier and will balance the contents between Powell and Mead with annual release volumes from Glen Canyon Dam between 7.00 maf and 9.50 maf as determined under Section 6.D.1 and 7.D of the Interim Guidelines as determined by the Department of the Interior as described above. Feet above sea level Change - Feet difference over previous . This was the lowest water levels have been since the lake was first constructed in the 1930s. Note that projections of elevation and storage for water year 2023 have significant uncertainty at this point in the season. Gas Prices on Lake Were going to be generating less than we have in quite some time. A century of river flow records combined with an additional four to five centuries of tree-ring data show that the droughts over the past two decades were not unusual; longer and more severe droughts are a regular part of the climate variability in that part of the continent. Lake Powell is now at a historic low. According to Reclamation, there is a 27% chance that Powell will still stop generating electricity completely over the next four years. The unregulated inflow volume to Lake Powell during January was 361 thousand acre-feet (kaf) (107 percent of average). (2019-2021) AND my own personal prediction of 2022 based on p. Drop us a note at tips@coloradosun.com. Federal and state water managers have watched the water level in Lake Powell closely this year. He said the soil moisture conditions were still well below normal across western Colorado, particularly in the southwest part of the state. Shifting the period of record decreased the average unregulated inflow 1.20 maf. CNN's Bill Weir has more. But the region is battling a multidecade drought with rain harder to come by. and last updated 5:24 PM, Sep 24, 2021. On April 8, Reclamation announced it would likely keep more water in Lake Powell, reducing releases from the planned 7.5 million acre-feet to 7 million acre-feet, a move that could trigger emergency water cutbacks in Arizona, California and Nevada. SW Water Vapor, Accessibility of Launch Ramps, Primitive Launches and Other Sites "Its always good to plan for the worst, right? Hydrologists recently updated the model that forecasts the level of Lake Powell. The system is appreciated for the water it supplies, but criticized for the environmental problems and cultural losses that have resulted from its creation. //-->, Printable Version Combined with water withdrawals that many believe are not sustainable, the drought has caused a dramatic drop in Lake Powells water level. Projections of end of water year 2023 elevation using the February minimum and January maximum inflow forecast results are 3,544.04 feet and 3,582.24 feet, respectively. The peak inflow to Lake Powell occurs in mid- to late spring, as the winter snow in the Rocky Mountains melts. 175 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<68753438768B134985CC80C922059B30>]/Index[159 34]/Info 158 0 R/Length 84/Prev 199590/Root 160 0 R/Size 193/Type/XRef/W[1 2 1]>>stream In the early 21st century, this modern marvel of engineering faced an ancient enemy: prolonged drought in the American Southwest. (Hugh Carey, The Colorado Sun), How Denver is spending the $41M from the Broncos sale, (720) 263-2338 Call, text, Signal or WhatsApp, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. As the forecast season progresses, Based on the current forecast of 10.44 maf unregulated inflow for water year 2023, the February 24-Month Study projects Lake Powell elevation will end water year 2023 near 3555.45 feet with approximately 7.47 maf in storage (32 percent of capacity). Even Less water forecast to flow into Lake Powell this year, report says May NOAA runoff report predicts even less water will flow into Lake Powell this year than previously forecasted. The Colorado River cuts through dry land that was once covered by Lake Powell on September 7, 2022, near Hite, Utah. Part of the Glen Canyon Conservancy Family, Utah D.O.T Charles Hall Ferry for UT Route 276. Water Data for 20 days surrounding Feb 28, 2022. Lake Powell is so low that it is nearing a dead pool, in which water levels aren't high enough to deliver water downstream. The reduction of releases from Lake Powell from 7.48 maf to 7.00 maf in water year 2022 resulted in a reduced release volume of 0.480 maf that normally would have been released from Glen Canyon Dam to Lake Mead as part of the 7.48 maf annual release volume, consistent with operations under the 2007 Interim Guidelines. Fresh Water News is an independent, non-partisan news initiative of Water Education Colorado. The Colorado River flows from the Rocky Mountains in Colorado through the southwestern United States.

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