http://droughtreporter.unl.edu/

v 2.4.3.0

Ongoing drought in the Colorado River Basin left Lake Powell at about 25% of capacity. The US Geological Survey and the Bureau of Reclamation have found that the reservoir’s capacity has been diminishing due to the buildup of sediments from the Colorado and San Juan rivers. Storage capacity has decreased about 33,270 acre-feet, or 11 billion gallons, annually between 1963 and 2018, amounting to nearly 7% of the potential storage capacity since 1963. The level of Lake Powell fell below the critical threshold of 3,525 feet the week of March 14, increasing concerns about water supply and hydropower generation for millions of people. CNN (Atlanta, Ga.), March 21, 2022 Lake Powell, second largest reservoir in the U.S., dropped below the critical threshold of 3,525 feet on March 15, with a buffer of just 35 feet of water before hydropower production ends. The drop below the critical threshold should be temporary and alleviated by snowmelt. Worst-case projections show Powell dropping below 3,525 feet again as early as August 2022. At that point, emergency water releases from Blue Mesa in Colorado and other reservoirs might be needed again like was done during the 2021 summer when water was released from several upper Colorado River reservoirs to bolster the level of Lake Powell. Those releases added about six feet of water to Lake Powell. Colorado Public Radio (Centennial, Colo.), March 16, 2022 Lake Powell is on track to fall below 3,525 feet above sea level between March 10 and 16. The 3,525 mark is important because it is the “target elevation” for the reservoir, threatening the ability of Glen Canyon Dam to generate hydropower and provide power for Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and Nebraska. Below 3,525 feet is the 35-foot buffer for emergency response to prevent Lake Powell from falling below the minimum pool elevation of 3,490 feet, the lowest point at which hydropower generation can occur. When Lake Powell drops below 3,525 feet, the Bureau of Reclamation would need to release water from reservoirs as the spring snowmelt wanes at the end of summer. CNN US (Atlanta, Ga.), March 3, 2022