SW Water Vapor, Accessibility of Launch Ramps, Primitive Launches and Other Sites 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. google_ad_height = 600; google_ad_channel ="2397569894"; Consistent with Section 6.D.1 of the Interim Guidelines, Lake Powells operations in water year 2023 are governed by the Lower Elevation Balancing Tier (LEBT) with an initial projected water year release volume of 7.00 maf. The peak inflow to Lake Powell occurs in mid- to late spring, as the winter snow in the Rocky Mountains melts. //-->, Printable Version The Water Desk launched in April 2019 with support from the Walton Family Foundation. Although developing snowpack in the area is "fairly good" and might stave off dead pool in Lake Powell for another year or so, according to Lund, the solution lies with people conserving water. The unregulated inflow volume to Lake Powell during January was 361 thousand acre-feet (kaf) (107 percent of average). Global warming is expected to make droughts more severe in the future. Lake Powell Water Supply Outlook, February 1, 2022 Note: This publication is scheduled for revision. Lake Mead was at elevation 1,064.30 ft. with storage of 8.753 maf or 34 percent of capacity. We are 41% through the Water Year. 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. 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. 2022, a day after Southern California delared a water . 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. Its not a hypothetical situation anymore.. 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. In March 2022, it fell below a critical level of 3,525 feet above sea levelthe lake's target elevation. (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. The 30-year average was updated in October 2022 from 1981 through 2010 to 1991 through 2020. Water Data for 20 days surrounding Feb 28, 2022. :pNB/gb2D0p6Ecb :qD_q7wE42TOOSW:Oa^(-]p7y|iZ.8uq:}1y3bJ]!G ) ytRdJp2 +[|}QpEU}V'k{yeKud"xl_-x lJ!UZ`,n!\3{dcb Her work has appeared nationally on NPR and been featured on Science Friday. Lund said that throughout the reservoir's history, it has refilled to its original levels just once. The forecast for water year 2023 unregulated inflow to Lake Powell, issued on January 5, 2023, by the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center, projects that the most probable (median) unregulated inflow volume in water year 2023 will be 9.5 maf (99 percent of average). CNN's Bill Weir has more. Late last fall WAPA, which operates the electric grid and distributes the power to utilities, raised rates 30% to cover reductions in power revenue. Fish & Wildlife Service Endangered Species Success Stories. Additionally, there are possible inflow scenarios that would result in reservoir elevations falling outside the ranges indicated in these reports. //2006-10-04: news A powerful winter storm will enter AZ early Tuesday night with rain and snow showers increasing across the region after midnight. 175 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<68753438768B134985CC80C922059B30>]/Index[159 34]/Info 158 0 R/Length 84/Prev 199590/Root 160 0 R/Size 193/Type/XRef/W[1 2 1]>>stream "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. To view the current inflow forecast relative to past inflows, click on Lake Powell Inflow Forecast. The probable minimum and probable maximum model runs are conducted simultaneously in January, April, August, and October, or when necessary to incorporate changing conditions. SW Water Vapor, Accessibility of Launch Ramps, Primitive Launches and Other Sites google_ad_width = 160; 2018 brought some relief after a wet winter. 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 Water Desks mission isto increase the volume, depth and power of journalismconnected to Western water issues. google_color_link = "0000FF"; google_ad_format = "160x600_as"; (At normal water levels, both rivers are essentially part of the reservoir.) Lake Powell, Printable Version However, these responses can have a noticeable impact on the river downstream of Glen Canyon Dam. In January, following the wet December Moser noted, the NOAA forecast called for 98% of the 30-year average to reach Powell. Its better than last year, but well just have to see what the next two to four weeks holds for precipitation.. google_ad_width = 160; hbbd``b`$WX)! In the latter half of the decade, the drought eased somewhat. 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. As of Wednesday, the water level was 3,524.22 feet. Lake Powell is at low for water year and down 9.26 feet from the high. Precipitation was better, but still slightly below normal in the Upper Colorado River Basin. 15 Day Weather Forecast 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. Wang suggests updating the reference period more frequently or using the last 20 years as the baseline. At the west end of Narrow Canyon, the Dirty Devil River joins the lake from the north. The Colorado Sun is a journalist-owned, award-winning news outlet based in Denver that strives to cover all of Colorado so that our state our community can better understand itself. But the region is battling a multidecade drought with rain harder to come by. (For comparison, the 1991-2020 total water year average is 9.60 maf.) There is approximately an 80 percent probability that a future elevation will fall inside the range of the minimum and maximum inflow scenarios. %PDF-1.7 % Fresh Water News is an independent, non-partisan news initiative of Water Education Colorado. //2006-10-04: news levels. 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. U.S. Arizona Drought Climate Change Water Conservation. 159 0 obj <> endobj 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. 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. That projection is about 12 feet higher than the 2023 end-of-year mark in the bureau's forecast from December. In July 2021, water levels on the lake fell to the lowest point since 1969 and have continued dropping. The January 2023 24-Month Study probable maximum and the February 2023 24-Month Study probable minimum inflow scenarios were used to determine the range of probable outcomes. With low-runoff conditions and . Lake Mead's water levels . The lake held just 30 percent of its capacity. 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. She also sits on the Upper Colorado River Commission. By Leia Larsen. 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. From there, a swing to the northeast delivers boats into Lake Powell's main artery. Last Reading: 3522.33 on Feb 12, 2023. Last Reading: 3521.11 on Feb 27, 2023 Powell was last within 2" of this elevation on Feb 26, 2023 There are currently 1,734,731,016,499 gallons of water in Lake Powell! 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. Lake Powell