'Unprecedented times': Critical lake hits lowest level in 60 years
Water levels at the lake, which is a popular boating spot as well as crucial for power generation, reached a low not seen since the U.S. government filled it with water back in 1963.
By
Zachary Rosenthal, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Mar 17, 2022 11:10 AM EST
|
Updated Mar 17, 2022 3:45 PM EST
Officials say Lake Powell is shrinking to a critical threshold, which could impact hydropower generation and water supplies in the Western U.S. later this year.
One of the most critical reservoirs throughout the American West reached a historically low level this week, and experts fear worsening conditions could raise longer-term issues when it comes to generating needed hydropower across the region.
The water levels at Lake Powell dropped below the crucial threshold of 3,525 feet on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press, the lowest level since the lake, which is also a popular recreation destination, was created by the U.S. government in the early 1960s. Just last week, experts had warned that water levels at Lake Powell were in danger of reaching historic lows.
At Glen Canyon Dam, the hydropower plant on Lake Powell where electricity is generated, the new water levels give 35 feet of leeway until the water level hits what is known as “minimum power pool” — the level at which hydroelectric power generation would be forced to cease, according to the AP.
Seven states -- Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming -- buy power generated at Glen Canyon Dam and distribute it to more than 5 million people.
Water levels are expected to remain below the target elevation for a few weeks before rebounding in April due to snowmelt from mountains along the Colorado River Basin. However, it is possible that the reservoir's level will dip to critically low levels again this summer.
FILE - In this July 30, 2021 photo, a houseboat rests in a cove at Lake Powell near Page, Ariz. The elevation of Lake Powell fell below 3,525 feet (1,075 meters), a record low that surpasses a critical threshold at which officials have long warned signals their ability to generate hydropower is in jeopardy. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
"We're talking about multiple seasons of well-below-average rain and snow that have kind of gotten us to this point, coupled with exceptionally high temperatures which we attribute to regional warming from global warming," Justin Mankin, an assistant geography professor at Dartmouth College and a co-lead at NOAA's drought task force, told AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Wadell.
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Several states and Mexico have already taken a mix of voluntary and mandatory water cuts to ensure that Lake Mead, a body of water that runs downstream from Lake Powell and is also seeing a drop in water levels, can stay operational, the AP reported.
"These are unprecedented times, and these decisions are not taken lightly, and we're aware of the impacts it has to the Colorado Basin, where there's 40 million people within the basin," Heather Patno, a hydrologic engineer for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, told Wadell.
Drought conditions have hardly been uncommon in the western United States in the past few years, and one peer-reviewed study published recently in the journal Nature Climate Change says that things have been abnormally dry for a very, very long time.
The study found that the western United States and parts of northern Mexico are experiencing their driest period in at least 1,200 years, with some calling the unprecedented period of dryness a "megadrought."
"This drought is indicating we need a structural orientation of our management of water in the West," Mankin said. "What does it mean for the West to be in an exceptional drought, that is, a drought without exception, every year?"
According to The Associated Press, recent hydrology modeling suggests there’s roughly a 1 in 4 chance that Lake Powell will not be able to produce power by 2024.
Reporting by Bill Wadell.
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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News / Severe Weather
'Unprecedented times': Critical lake hits lowest level in 60 years
Water levels at the lake, which is a popular boating spot as well as crucial for power generation, reached a low not seen since the U.S. government filled it with water back in 1963.
By Zachary Rosenthal, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Mar 17, 2022 11:10 AM EST | Updated Mar 17, 2022 3:45 PM EST
Officials say Lake Powell is shrinking to a critical threshold, which could impact hydropower generation and water supplies in the Western U.S. later this year.
One of the most critical reservoirs throughout the American West reached a historically low level this week, and experts fear worsening conditions could raise longer-term issues when it comes to generating needed hydropower across the region.
The water levels at Lake Powell dropped below the crucial threshold of 3,525 feet on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press, the lowest level since the lake, which is also a popular recreation destination, was created by the U.S. government in the early 1960s. Just last week, experts had warned that water levels at Lake Powell were in danger of reaching historic lows.
At Glen Canyon Dam, the hydropower plant on Lake Powell where electricity is generated, the new water levels give 35 feet of leeway until the water level hits what is known as “minimum power pool” — the level at which hydroelectric power generation would be forced to cease, according to the AP.
Seven states -- Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming -- buy power generated at Glen Canyon Dam and distribute it to more than 5 million people.
Water levels are expected to remain below the target elevation for a few weeks before rebounding in April due to snowmelt from mountains along the Colorado River Basin. However, it is possible that the reservoir's level will dip to critically low levels again this summer.
FILE - In this July 30, 2021 photo, a houseboat rests in a cove at Lake Powell near Page, Ariz. The elevation of Lake Powell fell below 3,525 feet (1,075 meters), a record low that surpasses a critical threshold at which officials have long warned signals their ability to generate hydropower is in jeopardy. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
"We're talking about multiple seasons of well-below-average rain and snow that have kind of gotten us to this point, coupled with exceptionally high temperatures which we attribute to regional warming from global warming," Justin Mankin, an assistant geography professor at Dartmouth College and a co-lead at NOAA's drought task force, told AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Wadell.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Several states and Mexico have already taken a mix of voluntary and mandatory water cuts to ensure that Lake Mead, a body of water that runs downstream from Lake Powell and is also seeing a drop in water levels, can stay operational, the AP reported.
"These are unprecedented times, and these decisions are not taken lightly, and we're aware of the impacts it has to the Colorado Basin, where there's 40 million people within the basin," Heather Patno, a hydrologic engineer for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, told Wadell.
Drought conditions have hardly been uncommon in the western United States in the past few years, and one peer-reviewed study published recently in the journal Nature Climate Change says that things have been abnormally dry for a very, very long time.
The study found that the western United States and parts of northern Mexico are experiencing their driest period in at least 1,200 years, with some calling the unprecedented period of dryness a "megadrought."
"This drought is indicating we need a structural orientation of our management of water in the West," Mankin said. "What does it mean for the West to be in an exceptional drought, that is, a drought without exception, every year?"
According to The Associated Press, recent hydrology modeling suggests there’s roughly a 1 in 4 chance that Lake Powell will not be able to produce power by 2024.
Reporting by Bill Wadell.
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