In January, following the wet December Moser noted, the NOAA forecast called for 98% of the 30-year average to reach Powell. To view the most current reservoir elevation projections, click on: Lake Powell Elevation Projections. The lake held just 30 percent of its capacity. Updated: 10:18 PM MDT April 26, 2022 DENVER Lake Powell, on the Utah-Arizona state line, is part of a river system that supplies water to 40 million people. The Bureau of Reclamation's most recent projections show Lake Mead dropping to 1,033.4 feet in elevation by the end of 2023, about 14 feet lower than the reservoir's current level. The forecast is changing daily and there are still a lot of variables, said Lisa Meiman, a spokeswoman for WAPA. But it is concerning. //-->, Printable Version The final NOAA forecast for the season predicts the amount of water to reach Lake Powell this year to be about 60% of average. Note that projections of elevation and storage for water year 2023 have significant uncertainty at this point in the season. google_ad_width = 160; These projections are critical for planning for an increasingly dry future in the Colorado River Basin, but a new paper from Utah State University says the model may still underestimate the risk. Lake Powell is at low for water year and down 9.26 feet from the high. google_ad_format = "160x600_as"; Water levels in Lake Powell dropped to a new record low on Tuesday. This is a decrease of 3.33 maf over the total storage at the beginning of water year 2022 when total system storage was 22.87 maf (39 percent of capacity). Previous forecasts showed this was possible and the Bureau of Reclamation announced on March 4 that a . According to Jay Lund, vice director for the Center for Watershed Sciences and a professor at the University of California, the long-term average use in the lower Colorado River Basin exceeds the long-term flow of water, meaning the only solution is to "substantially reduce water use" in the basin. 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). "This is probably the largest reservoir system in the country in terms of storage. Using the approach described in the immediately preceding paragraph, the August 2022 24-Month Study projected the January 1, 2023, Lake Powell elevation to be less than 3,525 feet. Sunlight brightens plateaus and southeast-facing slopes, casting shadows on the northern and western faces of the rugged landscape. Water supply forecasts take into consideration present hydrometeorological conditions and use "As a result of this update, the median water year 2022 inflow forecast into Lake Powell decreased by 800,000 acre-feet," USBR stated in a press release distributed Thursday. Combined with water withdrawals that many believe are not sustainable, the drought has caused a dramatic drop in Lake Powells water level. 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. Jerd Smith is editor of Fresh Water News. Hydrologists recently updated the model that forecasts the level of Lake Powell. Precipitation was better, but still slightly below normal in the Upper Colorado River Basin. To view the 2023 progession of snowpack above Lake Powell, click on Lake Powell Snow Chart. With low-runoff conditions and . 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. Together with the release of more water into Lake Powell from an upstream dam, the decision will keep the lake at a level at which it can continue generating hydropower for the next 12 months. Lake Powell has several launch ramps along its 186-mile length. Depending on the severity of the system emergency, the response from Glen Canyon Dam can be significant, within the full range of the operating capacity of the power plant for as long as is necessary to maintain balance in the transmission system. Dry conditions and falling water levels were unmistakable in the image from April 13, 2003. n$L{Z. Cheap sewer pipe repairs can push toxic fumes into homes and schools heres Hard water: In these metro neighborhoods, few drink the tap water. The probable minimum inflow scenario reflects a dry hydrologic condition which statistically would be exceeded 90 percent of the time. The Water Desk launched in April 2019 with support from the Walton Family Foundation. This is the big warning bell.. "Its always good to plan for the worst, right? Lake Powell water level at Wahweap Marina in September 2021 | Photo by Bureau of Reclamation, St. George News . Lake Powells side branches had all retreated compared to the previous years extents. She can be reached at 720-398-6474, via email atjerd@wateredco.orgor @jerd_smith. The water levels at Lake Powell have dropped around 100 feet in the last three years. google_color_url = "426C95"; There are continued discussions when and how that same amount of water (0.523 maf) will be . A powerful winter storm will enter AZ early Tuesday night with rain and snow showers increasing across the region after midnight. In the image acquired on May 1, 2004, the reservoirs northwestern branch is isolated from the main reservoir; the shallow water upstream could not crest raised areas in the lakebed. 175 0 obj
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Electricity produced at Lake Powells Glen Canyon Dam, which serves some 50 Colorado utilities, and dozens of others in the Colorado River Basin, has been cut in half by the 20-year drought, with power levels over the next two years projected to be 47% lower than normal, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The Colorado River cuts through dry land that was once covered by Lake Powell on September 7, 2022, near Hite, Utah. Please contact the Operations Group via e-mail at ResourceMgr@usbr.gov for additional information. (Due to the angle of sunlight, this image may cause an optical illusion known as relief inversion.). endstream
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The declines were first apparent in the side canyons feeding the reservoir which thinned and then shortened. Reclamation will also ensure all appropriate consultation with Basin Tribes, the Republic of Mexico, other federal agencies, water users and non-governmental organizations with respect to implementation of these monthly and annual operations. hbbd``b`$WX)! At the west end of Narrow Canyon, the Dirty Devil River joins the lake from the north. The Glen Canyon Dam annual release has initially been set to 7.00 maf, and in April 2023 Reclamation will evaluate hydrologic conditions to determine if balancing releases may be appropriate under the conditions established in the 2007 Interim Guidelines; Balancing releases will be limited (with a minimum of 7.00 maf) to protect Lake Powell from declining below elevation 3,525 feet at the end of December 2023; Balancing releases will take into account operational neutrality of the 0.480 maf that was retained in Lake Powell under the. google_color_border = "FFFFFF"; Up to 80 percent of water use in the basin is for agricultural purposes, but urban water conservation serves an important purpose, too. Committee on the Scientific Bases of Colorado River Basin Water Management, National Research Council. The basin states, in a response letter, expressed concern that the water level of Lake Powell would decline below critical elevations, making the dam inoperable. Among the dams on the Colorado is Arizona's Glen Canyon Dam, which creates Lake Powell. 04:18 . Today is day 151 of 365 for the Water Year 2023. 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. These instantaneous release adjustments stabilize the electrical generation and transmission system and translate to a range of about 1,300 cfs above or below the hourly scheduled release rate. An acre-foot is the amount of water needed to fill one acre of land to a height of one foot. The forecast isnt great, said Kyle Whitaker, Colorado River Manager for the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, one of the largest diverters of water in the headwaters region of the river. This level is actually .02 feet . 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. KNAUs Melissa Sevigny reports. But a long-term drying trend began in the year 2000. Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. 15 Day Weather Forecast SW Satellite Weather SW Water Vapor Lake Powell is down 6.18 feet from one year ago. water-data.com Lake Powell Water Database. %PDF-1.7
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In July 2021, water levels on the lake fell to the lowest point since 1969 and have continued dropping. SW Satellite Weather At the same time, electric utilities across the West are looking for other green options and hoping that hydropower production wont stop altogether. 159 0 obj
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google_color_border = "FFFFFF"; Winter Storm Warnings are in effect for elevations above 4000.Heavy accumulations of 10-20 are forecast above 6000, 3-8 to 4500 and several inches to valley floors. a greater portion of the future hydrologic and climatic uncertainty becomes known and After decades of drought, the water level in Lake Powell has sunk to unimaginable lows, threatening millions of people who rely on the water supply. Correction: This article has been corrected to indicate that Lake Powell began filling 59 years ago, not 60 years, as the original article stated. The water level in Lake Powell was at a record low when rain and snow began to fall across the Colorado River Basin in October, soaking dry soils ahead of the winter season. hb```)," Boats docked at Lake Powell on July 13 . @) .=] 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 It wasnt just the Powell number that dipped, although the amount of runoff that makes its way to Powell each year is considered a good barometer for conditions basinwide. 0
Get the most up to date information on Lake Powell's water levels and the status of launch ramps from the Bureau of Reclamation, National Park Service, and more with the links and pages below. Prepared by Ashley Nielson NOAA, National Weather Service Colorado Basin River Forecast Center Salt Lake City, Utah www.cbrfc.noaa.gov Contents Water supply forecast volumes decreased across most of the region, Moser said during the webinar. Differences between the full period forecasts and the residual forecasts may not exactly equal the actual observed volumes due to rounding conventions (see Definitions section). From there, a swing to the northeast delivers boats into Lake Powell's main artery. The nation's second-largest reservoir is under pressure from climate change and steady demand, and is now . 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. Water Data for 20 days surrounding Feb 28, 2022. Credit: Alex Hager. "I would be reluctant to limit it to years just since 2000, because I think there is some value in acknowledging the variability that goes on in our basin," he says. Click for Details, Current Snowpack Conditions for Upper Colorado Basin. It took decades for Lake Powell to reach catastrophically low levels, and according to one expert, it'll take a long time to restore the levels, too. U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation. The drop in the power forecast comes as Upper Colorado River Basin states of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming prepare to finalize a new drought operations plan for the giant river system. 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. Becky Mitchell is director of the Colorado Water Conservation Board, the states lead water planning agency. She reported that, as of March 16, 2022, Lake Powell was at an elevation of 3,524.83 feet (ft.) with storage of 5.916 million acre-feet (maf) or 24 percent of capacity. By May 1, the spring-summer runoff outcomes are pretty well locked in, which means theres virtually no escape from a third poor runoff year in a row, Jeff Lukas, an independent water and climate researcher based in Lafayette, said in an email. google_ad_client = "pub-0146338466817273"; She grew up in Tucson, Arizona, where she fell in love with the ecology and geology of the Sonoran desert. Under the current most probable forecast, the total water year 2023 unregulated inflow to Lake Powell is projected to be 10.44 maf (109 percent of average). The deep, narrow, meandering reservoir extends upstream into southern Utah. Last Reading: 3522.33 on Feb 12, 2023. google_ad_format = "160x600_as"; These long-term projections help water managers plan for future shortages, which are increasingly likely in the Colorado River Basin, in part because of warmer temperatures brought on by global climate change. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. (For comparison, the 1991-2020 total water year average is 9.60 maf.) Lake Powell has several launch ramps along its 186-mile length. Some Arizona cities have implemented drought management plans to conserve water, but the area continues to use water at a rate that negates Lake Powell's recovery. 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