Lake Powell Water Supply Outlook, February 1, 2022 Note: This publication is scheduled for revision. (At normal water levels, both rivers are essentially part of the reservoir.) From there, a swing to the northeast delivers boats into Lake Powell's main artery. However, the Bureau of Reclamation's 24-month forecast that was just released at the end of last week projects Lake Mead to be at 1,041.10 feet in January 2023. 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. Because the 2022 operations were designed to protect critical elevations at Lake Powell, Reclamation will implement Lower Elevation Balancing Tier operations in a way that continues to protect these critical elevations, or preserves the benefits of the 2022 operations to protect Lake Powell, in water year 2023. This is the big warning bell.. Lake Powell is now at a historic low. 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 . Click for . Today is day 151 of 365 for the Water Year 2023. This article contains new, firsthand information uncovered by its reporter(s). In March 2022, it fell below a critical level of 3,525 feet above sea levelthe lake's target elevation. //-->, Printable Version Lukas noted that the dry soil conditions are factored into the NOAA runoff predictions from the get-go so there shouldnt necessarily be any big surprises with that particular variable. The Colorado River flows from the Rocky Mountains in Colorado through the southwestern United States. For more information on the tools we use, consult, Upper Colorado Mainstem Specific Site Forecasts. Across the region, water utilities are in high-alert mode, preparing for another dry year on the Colorado River and holding hope that the Upper Basin reservoirs can be protected as long as possible from large-scale drought releases. The modeling approach for WY 2023 will apply to 2024. 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. Water supply forecasts take into consideration present hydrometeorological conditions and use View our Current Membership Thank You Gifts, KNAU News Talk - Arizona Public Radio | endstream endobj 160 0 obj <>/Metadata 41 0 R/Pages 157 0 R/StructTreeRoot 59 0 R/Type/Catalog/ViewerPreferences 177 0 R>> endobj 161 0 obj <>/MediaBox[0 0 792 612]/Parent 157 0 R/Resources<>/Font<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI]/XObject<>>>/Rotate 0/StructParents 0/Tabs/S/Type/Page>> endobj 162 0 obj <>stream 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 lake held just 30 percent of its capacity. According to Reclamation, there is a 27% chance that Powell will still stop generating electricity completely over the next four years. 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. 0 google_color_link = "0000FF"; That spring runoff is critical to irrigated agriculture, domestic water supplies, and the recreation industry in Colorado and the West. The Water Desk launched in April 2019 with support from the Walton Family Foundation. Snow levels will fall to the lowest locations Wednesday night into Thursday morning, before the storm exits eastern Arizona Thursday afternoon. a greater portion of the future hydrologic and climatic uncertainty becomes known and We are 37% through the Water Year. Both Moser and Lukas said that dry soil moisture conditions across the Colorado River Basin, which can sponge off valuable runoff before the water makes it into rivers and streams, wont be quite as bad as last year but will still be a negative factor. 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). google_ad_height = 600; 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. A Tier 3 shortage would impact the amount of . google_ad_width = 160; WEco is funded by multiple donors. Lake Powell has several launch ramps along its 186-mile length. This includes directly interviewing sources and research / analysis of primary source documents. Utahs Flaming Gorge, Colorados Blue Mesa and New Mexicos Navajo. google_ad_format = "160x600_as"; But the declining water already has drained some of the fun, he said. U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation. | March 17, 2022, 6:57 a.m. As predicted, southern Utah's Lake Powell has fallen below a critical level that soon could threaten its ability . 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. 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. Across most of the streams and rivers of the Upper Basin, forecasted runoff ranges from very poor (50% of average) to mediocre (80% of average).. Please contact the Operations Group via e-mail at ResourceMgr@usbr.gov for additional information. Fresh Water News is an independent, non-partisan news initiative of Water Education Colorado. Antelope Point Launch Ramp Bullfrog Main Launch Ramp 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. google_color_border = "FFFFFF"; 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. google_ad_client = "pub-0146338466817273"; The water levels at Lake Powell have dropped around 100 feet in the last three years. In the early years of this image series, water levels began to drop. Dry conditions and falling water levels were unmistakable in the image from April 13, 2003. Lake Mead's water levels . inflow forecast for water year 2022 by approximately 2.2 million acre-feet from . In water year 2021 unregulated inflow volume to Lake Powell was 3.50 maf (36 percent of average), the second driest year on record above 2002. The probable minimum and probable maximum model runs are conducted simultaneously in January, April, August, and October, or when necessary to incorporate changing conditions. average basin temperatures and precipitation for the forecast period. Were going to be generating less than we have in quite some time. Lake Powell has fallen victim to excessive water use as a 20-year drought parches the region. The forecast is changing daily and there are still a lot of variables, said Lisa Meiman, a spokeswoman for WAPA. The Colorado River cuts through dry land that was once covered by Lake Powell on September 7, 2022, near Hite, Utah. Water supply forecast volumes decreased across most of the region, Moser said during the webinar. Boats docked at Lake Powell on July 13 . Official Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Changing Lake Levels Info. google_ad_type = "text_image"; At the beginning of the series in 1999, water levels in Lake Powell were relatively high, and the water was a clear, dark blue. :pNB/gb2D0p6Ecb :qD_q7wE42TOOSW:Oa^(-]p7y|iZ.8uq:}1y3bJ]!G ) ytRdJp2 +[|}QpEU}V'k{yeKud"xl_-x lJ!UZ`,n!\3{dcb Lake Powell has several launch ramps along its 186-mile length. The elevations listed in the August 2022 24-Month Study report reflected the projected physical elevations at each reservoir after implementing operations as described for water year 2023 tier determination purposes. It took decades for Lake Powell to reach catastrophically low levels, and according to one expert . Lake Powell is currently 390.33 feet deep at the dam. 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. 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. Detailed Map of Powell 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. Low water effects to launch ramps and services top Lake Powell Elevation (05/18/2022) 3526.05 ft Stay in the know! A Colorado River flows drop and tensions rise, water interests struggle Can the Ancient Humpback Chub Hang On in Todays Grand Canyon? Lake Powell Water Level including historical chart. But the 30-year period is the standard reference worldwide and captures more variability, according to Paul Miller of the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center. Powell was last within 2" of this elevation on Feb 11, 2023 There are currently 1,757,155,460,140 gallons of water in Lake Powell! In July 2022, the lake reached a historic low of 1,040 feet above sea level. 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. Last week, the Bureau of Reclamation announced extraordinary action to keep the water level at Powell from dropping too low, which could threaten hydropower production at Powells Glen Canyon Dam. It can store about five times the average annual flow. water-data.com LakePowell Water Database . Hourly releases during February 2023 will fluctuate from a low of approximately 5,797 cfs during the early morning hours to a high of 10,091 cfs during the afternoon and evening hours. In addition to the February 2023 24-Month Study based on the Most Probable inflow scenario, and in accordance with the Drought Response Operational Agreement (DROA)), Reclamation has conducted model runs in February to determine a possible range of reservoir elevations. Human actions created the Salton Sea, Californias largest lake heres Scientists studying water supply focus on weeks following peak snowpack. Becky Mitchell is director of the Colorado Water Conservation Board, the states lead water planning agency. Water Data for 20 days surrounding Feb 28, 2022. 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. CNN's Bill Weir has more. Soil moisture conditions have improved over the last year across most of Colorados Western Slope, but thats not necessarily saying much because of how bad soil moisture conditions were heading into last years snowmelt runoff season, Moser said. So, it takes awhile to fill and it takes awhile to empty.". Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. The Upper Basin reservoirs have already provided 161,000 acre-feet of water pursuant to the imminent need provision of the Drought Response Operations Agreement, including 36,000 acre-feet from Blue Mesa Reservoir in Colorado. In addition to daily scheduled fluctuations for power generation, the instantaneous releases from Glen Canyon Dam may also fluctuate to provide 40 megawatts (MW) of system regulation. To view the most current reservoir elevation projections, click on: Lake Powell Elevation Projections. With low-runoff conditions and . Hydrologists recently updated the model that forecasts the level of Lake Powell. "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. The picture was much different 59 years ago, when the giant storage reservoir on the Colorado River was filling, its electricity helping power the West and the revenue from its power sales helping fund endangered fish protection programs across the Colorado River Basin. As of Wednesday, the water level was 3,524.22 feet. The nation's second-largest reservoir is under pressure from climate change and steady demand, and is now . 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. . (For comparison, the 1991-2020 total water year average is 9.60 maf.) The probable maximum inflow scenario reflects a wet hydrologic condition which statistically would be exceeded 10 percent of the time. swE{,,;o0U|+/ :u7j@;pGh00gr\j30sAD+ ON 9 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. The sediment-filled Colorado River appeared green-brown. Precipitation was better, but still slightly below normal in the Upper Colorado River Basin. Drop us a note at tips@coloradosun.com. According to the Bureau of Reclamation's website (on March 22, 2022), Lake In the early 21st century, this modern marvel of engineering faced an ancient enemy: prolonged drought in the American Southwest. 159 0 obj <> endobj The unregulated inflow volume to Lake Powell during January was 361 thousand acre-feet (kaf) (107 percent of average). GCC is the official nonprofit partner of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area & Rainbow Bridge National Monument. 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. Shortages have been implemented by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in areas like Arizona as water levels in the reservoir have consistently dropped for the past 10 years. //2006-10-04: news She can be reached at 720-398-6474, via email atjerd@wateredco.orgor @jerd_smith. levels. Jerd Smith is editor of Fresh Water News. The model is based on weather conditions over a thirty-year span. 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. Sunday, February 26, 2023 12:00:00 AM Level is 178.87 feet Late last fall WAPA, which operates the electric grid and distributes the power to utilities, raised rates 30% to cover reductions in power revenue. A 59% flow into Powell translates to about 3.8 million acre-feet. The NOAA forecast center begins releasing monthly water supply forecasts for the Colorado River Basin in December. //2006-10-04: news This 2022 Plan is described above and available for review here: https://www.usbr.gov/dcp/droa.html. The Bureau of Reclamation announced on May 3, 2022, two separate urgent drought response actions that will help prop up Lake Powell by nearly 1 million acre-feet (maf) of water over the next 12 months (May 2022 through April 2023). Fresh Water News is an independent, nonpartisan news initiative of Water Education Colorado. Its better than last year, but well just have to see what the next two to four weeks holds for precipitation.. To view the current inflow forecast relative to past inflows, click on Lake Powell Inflow Forecast.

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