Lake Powell has several launch ramps along its 186-mile length. Were an initiative of theCenter for Environmental Journalismat the University of Colorado Boulder. (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. 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. Today is day 151 of 365 for the Water Year 2023. Mitchell declined to discuss the pending drought operations plan. For more information on the tools we use, consult, Upper Colorado Mainstem Specific Site Forecasts. Though the 2022 forecast isnt expected to be finalized until later this month, water officials expect that more water will have to be released from Upper Basin storage reservoirs this summer because inflows into the lake from the drought-stressed Colorado River are expected to be well below average again, in the 60% to 80% range. //2006-10-04: news By 2002, the lake level had dropped far enough that the exposed canyon walls created a pale outline around the lake. SW Satellite Weather The final NOAA forecast for the season predicts the amount of water to reach Lake Powell this year to be about 60% of average. . 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. On Tuesday, the lake fell below 3,525 feet above sea level, a key target elevation that water managers have been trying to keep Powell above because it provides a buffer from the minimum level at which Glen Canyon Dam can generate power. (At normal water levels, both rivers are essentially part of the reservoir.) According to the Bureau of Reclamation's website (on March 22, 2022), Lake Detailed Map of Powell The probable maximum inflow scenario reflects a wet hydrologic condition which statistically would be exceeded 10 percent of the time. This is the big warning bell.. The water levels at Lake Powell have dropped around 100 feet in the last three years. water-data.com Lake Powell Water Database. But generally below-normal precipitation the last several months after a very wet December.. The actual end of water year 2023 system storage may vary from this projection, primarily due to uncertainty regarding this seasons runoff and reservoir inflow. Fresh Water News is an independent, non-partisan news initiative of Water Education Colorado. 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. Telling stories that matter in a dynamic, evolving state. Note that projections of elevation and storage for water year 2023 have significant uncertainty at this point in the season. 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. Dry conditions and falling water levels were unmistakable in the image from April 13, 2003. This article contains new, firsthand information uncovered by its reporter(s). 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 lake level began to rebound; only the 2008 image appeared to deviate from the trend toward rising water levels. 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. 04:18 . In the latter half of the decade, the drought eased somewhat. From there, a swing to the northeast delivers boats into Lake Powell's main artery. %PDF-1.7 % A powerful winter storm will enter AZ early Tuesday night with rain and snow showers increasing across the region after midnight. Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. 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. Water Summary Today is day 136 of 365 for the Water Year 2023. hbbd``b`$WX)! 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. 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 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. Much of that water. Sunday, February 26, 2023 12:00:00 AM Level is 178.87 feet The Colorado River cuts through dry land that was once covered by Lake Powell on September 7, 2022, near Hite, Utah. The March 2023 releases are anticipated to fluctuate between a low of 5,276 cfs to a high of 9,641 cfs. She grew up in Tucson, Arizona, where she fell in love with the ecology and geology of the Sonoran desert. As a news piece, this article cites verifiable, third-party sources which have all been thoroughly fact-checked and deemed credible by the Newsroom in accordance with the Civil Constitution. google_color_border = "FFFFFF"; The lake held just 30 percent of its capacity. google_color_url = "426C95"; KNAU's Melissa Sevigny reports. The release volume from Glen Canyon Dam in January was 500 kaf. 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. 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. 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. Under system normal conditions, fluctuations for regulation are typically short lived and generally balance out over the hour with minimal or no noticeable impacts on downstream river flow conditions. In order to restore Lake Powell's levels, one expert said people must conserve water in the Colorado River's lower basin. n$L{Z. Back then, Hannegan said, We made an assumption that our WAPA (Western Area Power Administration) allocation would be firm, reliable and always there. A 59% flow into Powell translates to about 3.8 million acre-feet. Arizona Public Radio | Your Source for NPR News, PublishedFebruary 28, 2022 at 5:00 AM MST. 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. For five years after 2012, snow- and rainfall totals were generally low, as the region suffered through a persistent, long-term drought. In March 2022, it fell below a critical level of 3,525 feet above sea levelthe lake's target elevation. :pNB/gb2D0p6Ecb :qD_q7wE42TOOSW:Oa^(-]p7y|iZ.8uq:}1y3bJ]!G ) ytRdJp2 +[|}QpEU}V'k{yeKud"xl_-x lJ!UZ`,n!\3{dcb endstream endobj startxref About 40 million people rely on the Colorado River for domestic use and farmers and ranchers use water from the river to irrigate more than 3 million acres of farmland. She also sits on the Upper Colorado River Commission. Part of the Glen Canyon Conservancy Family, Utah D.O.T Charles Hall Ferry for UT Route 276. Upper Colorado River Basin regularly experiences significant year to year hydrologic variability. Even in low emission climate scenarios (forecasts that are based on the assumption that future carbon dioxide emissions will increase relatively slowly), models predict precipitation may decline by 20-25 percent over most of California, southern Nevada, and Arizona by the end of this century. There are continued discussions when and how that same amount of water (0.523 maf) will be . 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. 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. But a long-term drying trend began in the year 2000. To view the current inflow forecast relative to past inflows, click on Lake Powell Inflow Forecast. Lake Powells side branches had all retreated compared to the previous years extents. Lake Powell is currently 390.33 feet deep at the dam. //2006-10-04: news The DROA coordination will continue until either (i) the minimum probable projected elevation remains above 3,525 feet for 24 months or (ii) the process moves to the next step when the most probable projected elevation indicates Powell elevations below 3,525 feet and a Drought Response Operations Plan is developed. Fresh Water News is an independent, nonpartisan news initiative of Water Education Colorado. 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. Our editorial policy and donor list can be viewed atwateredco.org. 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. google_color_bg = "FFFFFF"; It can store about five times the average annual flow. google_color_text = "000000"; 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. Flight Center. The grim forecast comes as water officials race to bolster Lake Powell's water levels. (2007). //-->, Printable Version "Its always good to plan for the worst, right? https://www.usbr.gov/newsroom/news-release/4294, https://www.usbr.gov/newsroom/#/news-release/4196, USGS site #09180500 - Colorado River near Cisco, UT, USGS site #09315000 - Green River at Green River, UT, USGS site #09379500 - San Juan River near Bluff, UT, USGS site #09380000 - Colorado River at Lees Ferry, AZ, Snowpack Conditions Upper Colorado Region Above Lake Powell, Lake Powell Inflow Forecast April-July Inflow Forecast, Current Water Year Inflow Forecast Monthly Outlooks, Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program, LTEMP - Long-Term Experimental & Management Plan, Report to Congress - Operations of Glen Canyon Dam - Water Year 2015-2016, National Park Service Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, National Park Service Grand Canyon National Park, U.S. Began in the season powerful winter storm will enter AZ early Tuesday night rain. 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