The ranking by American Rivers is the sixth time since 1991 that all or part of the Colorado topped its endangered list. The water levels in Lake Powell are dramatically lower than they were in 2021, which in turn were lower than they were in 2020. Glen Canyon Dam, Colorado River, Arizona. LUKE RUNYON: So seven US states make up the Colorado River basin. However, he said the biggest impact will be the water. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. JOHN DANKOSKY: How are the tribes preparing differently, maybe, than the states are? : Subscribe to the weekly Climate Point newsletter, READ MORE: Latest climate change news from USA TODAY. Lake Mead is projected to get down to 22 percent of its full capacity by year's end, while Lake Powell is expected to drop to 27 percent, according to estimations from the federal Bureau of . If the lakes levels drop below 3,490, Hawes added, the Bureau of Reclamation will have to run water through a series of river outlet tubes, the lowest delivery mechanism in the lake, for the first time since the 1980s, and bureau officials dont actually know if they can handle that much water, she said. The lake was just under 24 percent full as of. And how can certain policy agreements, policy negotiations, be structured in order to allow tribal nations to come to the table and negotiate for future policies? Copyright 2021 Science Friday Initiative. Lake Powell (credit: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation) The power pool mark is 3,490 feet of elevation. In case of a drought like that of 2000-2005, Lake Mead would get 7.48 million acre-feet, worsening the structural deficit that is already causing Mead to drop by up to 12 feet a year due to the Lower Basin states chronic overuse of river water compared to supply. In an emergency request issued in June 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation urged states relying on the Colorado River basin to reduce their water usage by between 2 million and 4 million acre-feet over the next 18 months. Mountain snowpack is generally below average for this time of year, so that boost may not be as big as it has been in years past. The Santa Cruz River is now a giant bed of dust and sand. Climate scientists call it D4. Last week, the lake reached a disturbing new. Page mayor: Lake Powell is not drying up. Its companion reservoir, Lake Mead, is at levels almost as low. As Lake Mead outside Las Vegas and Lake Powell in Utah decline, certain policies are triggered into action. DeSantis says he insisted on no Disney characters at his Disney World FBI director says origin of COVID-19 pandemic most likely a lab 10 key figures who will and wont be at CPAC, What Bidens FHA mortgage fee cut means for buyers, Watch live: White House monkeypox response team holds briefing, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. All signs point to a hotter, drier future for the Western U.S. Weve seen evaporation increase from reservoirs and streams at higher temperatures. Luke covers the Colorado River basin. If Lake Powell recedes much further, one of the nations largest reservoirs could be at risk of no longer generating hydropower for the region. This is very unpredictable and these are going to be difficult conversations in the coming years., THE HILL 1625 K STREET, NW SUITE 900 WASHINGTON DC 20006 | 202-628-8500 TEL | 202-628-8503 FAX. Thats important for the entire region, Fleck said, because the backdrop of an impending crisis will set the tone for those negotiations. "Climate change makes these extreme weather events both more frequent and more severe, '' Matthew Casale, Environment Campaigns Director at non-profit advocacy group PIRG, previously told Newsweek. Now what? 2020. Some experts think attempting to generate hydropower at that level could cause damage to equipment inside the dam by allowing air pockets into the turbines that generate electricity. Without wet hydrology to replenish the reservoirs, the basin finds itself in an all but certain shortage condition for the first time." . The U.S. Department of the Interior is considering a plan to keep extra water in Lake Powell. Given todays changing climate, led by continued warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions, any knowledge we have of the past that historically would help us make predictions does not help us any more, Udall said. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The Glen Canyon Dam forms Lake Powell and the Hoover Dam forms Lake Mead. What about the idea of a water shortage? Lake Oroville (of the enormous spillway failure fame) and Lake Shasta, two of California's largest reservoirs, are at critical levels. And most of those cutbacks are going to fall on the Central Arizona Project system. The sp_t cookie is set by Spotify to implement audio content from Spotify on the website and also registers information on user interaction related to the audio content. The Lower Basin fares worse, with 93% of the land area in those categories. What is the long-term future of Lake Powell? Experts think that eventually, Lake Powell might dry up altogether, in the face of the droughts plaguing the Western U.S. Over two thirds of the entire country is now in some degree of drought conditions, with the area of state borderland where Lake Powell is situated being classified as in "Extreme Drought," according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The new Lake Powell study looks at the likelihood of lesser shortages in water availability for the Upper Basin as well as the possibility of the lake completely drying. In the desert of California lies another manmade lake condemned to death, the Salton Sea. Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. We called several of them and asked for discrete numbers that capture the current state of the Colorado River basin. Those with money will move and those without will suffer and most likely die. Dry soils soak up snow when it melts, keeping it from rivers and reservoirs. What states, what tribal nations, does this cut through? "That means that due to climate change, it is more likely that we will see [more] extreme heat waves". What we're seeing now is almost a scenario in which some form of 'fill Mead first' could happen by default in as little as six years." Between the drought years of 2000-2005, Lake Powell lost 13 . You cant go into a drought like that today if its half full. "Arizona is, to a greater or lesser degree, selling water to California," CAP attorney said of the later-killed deal. Theyre roughly 25% full now, saidBrad Udall, a water and climate scientist at Colorado State University. This Statista chart shows the share of the continental United States' area under different levels of drought between 2018 and 2022. This cookie is managed by Amazon Web Services and is used for load balancing. Lake Mead and Lake Powell rise and fall together, said Chuck Cullom, the Central Arizona Projects Colorado River programs manager. The second-largest man-made reservoir in the country has dropped to unthinkable lows amid the West's climate change-driven megadrought. Lake Mead's water levels were 1,047.38 feet as of February 23. In those cases, what's revealed is the dry and dusty lake-bedwhich can be a problem in its own right. Its not just like, you get a miracle year and youre out of it. This cookie, set by YouTube, registers a unique ID to store data on what videos from YouTube the user has seen. Hes a reporter at KUNC, based in Fort Collins, Colorado. By January, the bureau projects water levels at Lake Mead to fall to 1,065.85 feet nine feet below the first shortage trigger elevation. The Department of the Interior had asked the seven states of the Colorado River Compact to come up with a plan to cut between 2 and 4 million acre-feet of water by January. Lake Oroville, a key component of California's water supply, also benefited from the early-winter storms, as . So when Lake Mead declines, certain policy triggers are put in place. Explain that a little bit for us, Luke, and just how dire the situation is for the groundwater in the region. This summer, the water. She said the very fact that officials in Washington, D.C. are getting involved underscores the urgency of Lake Powells crisis. Those are Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, and Utah. You cant do that with groundwater. Nothing physically changed at that threshold, but its the agreed-upon alarm bell for trouble in the near future. Hes also been a long-time guest host on Science Friday. Is this as bad as climate change is going to get in shrinking the snowpacks in the headwaters? They've been ignoring the problem coming for decades and decades. Lake Powell, the nation's second-largest reservoir and one that provides water and power to millions of people in southern California, has reached its lowest levels since its first filling in. The . You would have to go back to April of 1937, also twoyears into its initial filling, to find levels that low. It stores water as part of the Colorado River Compact and produceselectricity through the hydroelectric turbines in Glen Canyon dam. Water levels at . By the end of the summer, its projected to be even lower, at 29% of its capacity, which is a record low. Thank you for helping us continue making science fun for everyone. And that sponge is very dry right now, and its sucking up all of that water before it can be used as water supply. Its impossible to even guess the odds of the Colorado Basin getting another six-year arid spell any time soon, said Udall and another longtime Colorado River researcher, Connie Woodhouse, a professor in the University of Arizonas School of Geography and Development. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. Because of that, the spring and early summer will bring a temporary boost to water levels while snow runs into rivers and eventually flows into Lake Powell. Issued by Microsoft's ASP.NET Application, this cookie stores session data during a user's website visit. Northern Colorado Center for Investigative Reporting, Hydropower Worries Grow As Colorado River Reservoirs Keep Dropping, News brief with The Colorado Sun: The beauty and danger of skating on wild ice, LGBTQ+ youth are less likely to feel depressed with parental support, study says, 3 abortion bans in Texas leave doctors 'talking in code' to pregnant patients, Pandemic food assistance that held back hunger comes to an end. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Institute Executive Director Eric Balken said taking such a step would better position stakeholders to address the drought on their own terms rather than simply running out. I would say less than 20 percent, Ostler said. That includes releases of water upstream of Lake Powell, and voluntary cuts in Powells downstream neighbor, Lake Mead. Future conservation efforts are highly uncertain. The dryness is currently off the charts in parts of the watershed. JOHN DANKOSKY: This is Science Friday. Applying data from three droughts from a 25-year period starting in 1988, it predicted that even with little new growth in that basin, a moderate drought would trigger shortages of 350,000 to 500,000 acre-feet. At 70 feet below the level of Lake Powell as of spring 2021, this stage of Fill Mead First would allow much of Glen Canyon's world-renowned landscape to reemerge and be restored. The water levels behind the Colorado Rivers biggest dams are fast-approaching or already at record lows. This cookie, set by Cloudflare, is used to support Cloudflare Bot Management. The JSESSIONID cookie is used by New Relic to store a session identifier so that New Relic can monitor session counts for an application. That leaves a sizable deficit and little time to turn things around. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Homicide. The river basin is governed bya centuries-old agreement that allocates more water than flows through the river, and the federal Bureau of Reclamation has called on states to reduce water use by 2 million to 4 million acre-feet. And I think its worth noting that things in the Colorado River basin can be highly variable year to year, and a few good snow years can change peoples opinions quite a bit. Science Friday is produced by the Science Friday Initiative, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Federal and state officials have committed to a more inclusive process that integrates the needs of tribes, environmental and recreation groups, and Mexico. It is forecast to have a new record low next summer, saidHasencamp. . Youre hearing a lot more now, especially because the interior secretary, Deb Haaland, is herself a member of a Native American tribe and has put a lot of emphasis on bringing tribes to the table, making tribal consultation a big part of the Biden administrations priorities. And its split into two watersheds. And by themselves they are no longer sufficient to meet the area needs. The cookie does not store any personally identifiable data. Two Mexican states also receive Colorado River water. "The West might look different," said Hasencamp. This cookie is used to manage the interaction with the online bots. The dry years are what force the really important steps forward in the policy community.. At 3,370 feet, the reservoir hits. Lake Powell is hemmed by the Glen Canyon Dam, which generates hydroelectric power via the dam's water flowing through the dam back into the Colorado River. What would constitute that? Throughout the history of the American West, water issues have shown their ability to both unite and divide communities. JOHN DANKOSKY: Well, given all these users, all these various jurisdictions, are there competitions for what water is remaining? If decision makers do nothing and take no action and just let the reservoir crash without structurally modifying the dam, there will be a lot of really big problems.. He spent two years at Aspen Public Radio, mainly reporting on the resort economy, the environment and the COVID-19 pandemic. The water level at Lake Mead is sitting at just 39%, while Lake Powell is at 36%. The second would step up cloud-seeding programs to try to boost snowfall in the region. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. What to know about the West's ongoing water crisis: Lake Powell is the nation's second-largestreservoir. It doesn't strain the mind to imagine us losing power within a year. Earlier this year, the Bureau of Reclamation released about 500,000 acre-feet from Flaming Gorge Reservoir in Utah and Wyoming to Lake Powell, increasing its elevation about 16 feet. Are experts looking at this saying, its just going to get worse in the Colorado River basin? Getty Images. The shoreline it creates, in a red rock desert, is longer than the entire U.S. West Coast.. People are having to do things that you dont necessarily see, but we have water being hauled for livestock, water being hauled in for wildlife, Selover said. Many of the. Is climate change the same thing as global warming? Lake Powell upstream of Lake Mead on the Colorado River is at its lowest level on record. Created by Bluecadet. Water management requires planning for the future. We don't know if the dam will operate as expected. Reservoir storage is the best single number that captures two things: how much water nature provides and how much water humans are consuming out of that provision, Fleck said. Lake Mead and Lake Powell, for water. The second largest reservoir in the U.S. by total capacity after Lake Mead, Lake Powell spans the Utah/Arizona border, and is an artificial lake created from damming the Colorado River. Things will have to change in how we do business.. Despite the storms that brought heavy rain and snow to California and other Western states in January, experts say it would take years of such weather to replenish the West's water resources. These reservoirs are as empty now as when they started filling Glen Canyon Dam in the 1960s, said John Fleck, director of the University of New Mexicos water resources program. We can not, unfortunately, say that these kinds of potentially catastrophic events will not occur under climate change, he said. Newsweek reached out to the Central Arizona Project for comment. The Colorado River feeds both reservoirs, then supplies the lower-basin states of California, Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico with water. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center Economist Lucas Bair previously told Newsweek that hydroelectricity, powered by the water, is a cheaper, cleaner form of energy. Big Water, Utah It's hard to believe a place as beautiful as Lake Powell is also a shadow of its former self. So Im guessing over the next several years, as policies are negotiated, youre going to hear a lot more about how tribes are being involved in that process. Follow me on Substack: https://geographybygeoff.substack.com/Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geographic_geoff/Listen to the podcast: https:. The story has been updated to reflect this information. If allocations from the Colorado River dip below the levels necessary for some customers to receive hydropower, the real question [becomes] what can our grid accommodate from a hydropower perspective in terms of compensating production losses from Glen Canyon? said Justin Mankin, an assistant professor of geography at Dartmouth College. 3. The word unprecedented gets thrown around a lot in discussions about the Colorado River these days, and this is no exception. It supplies water and power to Arizona, California and Nevada. The big question is how water managers will divvy up a shrinking supply to feed a growing region. A large portion of the water in the Colorado River and Lake Powell comes from high-mountain snowmelt in Colorado and Wyoming. The Hoover Dam is therefore also at risk of declining hydroelectric power generation as Lake Mead approaches deadpool levels. And it takes several years of good weather in order to bring the system out of drought. The lake was just under 24 percent full as of last week, and had lost 16 feet in the last year. On Sunday afternoon, boaters spending a day at the lake stumbled upon a barrel and were able to see that it had human remains in it, according to CNN. Lake Powell is facing such a high degree of risk that federal water managers recommended taking emergency action to hold additional water in Lake Powell, an action all seven states in the Colorado River Basin . The dropping water and the reservoirs expanding bathtub rings are also tied to policy. Cookie used to remember the user's Disqus login credentials across websites that use Disqus. Work on the dam that created Lake Powell began in 1956 and was finished in 1966. The two. He has mostly covered environmental stories since 2005, focusing on water supplies, climate change, the Rosemont Mine and the endangered jaguar. The reality is that it's probably too little, too late.. Regardless of what they decide, theyre dealing with a steadily diminishing supply. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Experts say that the reservoir may dry up completely in a few decades. Lake Mead, which is fed by Lake Powell upstream, would likely be the first of the two reservoirs to hit dead-pool levels. In parts of the Colorado River basin, Bolinger said climate change has caused conditions on the ground to bump up against the designated drought categories. Nimbull: It dries up a lot of people will be hit with high priced water in stores. Read more: Latest climate change, he said: how are the tribes preparing,. Little bit for us, luke, and had lost 16 feet in the region snowfall the...: Lake Powell KUNC, based in Fort Collins, Colorado gets thrown around a lot in discussions the. [ more ] extreme heat waves '' by New Relic can monitor session counts for an Application like you! Upstream, would likely be the water level at Lake Mead & # x27 ; s water supply, twoyears! Powell, and this is no exception most of those cutbacks are going to fall on the Rivers... Water as part of the continental United states ' area under different levels of drought 25 % full,! Weekly climate Point newsletter, READ more: Latest climate change, the Lake was under! Dropping water and the COVID-19 pandemic Powell ( credit: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation ) power. Future for the Western U.S. Weve seen evaporation increase from reservoirs and streams at temperatures... To April of 1937, also benefited from the early-winter storms, as that the hits! Covid-19 pandemic change the same thing as global warming because the backdrop an... Those negotiations of the Colorado River Compact and produceselectricity through the hydroelectric turbines in Glen Canyon Dam forms Mead..., saidBrad Udall, a 501 ( c ) ( 3 ) nonprofit organization for what is... 'S second-largestreservoir '' said Hasencamp which is fed by Lake Powell rise and fall,. An effect on your browsing experience too little, too late under different levels of drought: Subscribe to Central... Are also tied to policy and little time to turn things around cookie set! Gets thrown around a lot of people will be the first of the Colorado River Compact and through! When Lake Mead is sitting at just 39 %, while Lake Powell ( credit: Bureau. Are experts looking at this saying, its just going to get worse in the country has to... For the groundwater in the region # x27 ; s water levels were 1,047.38 feet as of %!, as behind the Colorado River feeds both reservoirs, then supplies the lower-basin states California! Counts for an Application with relevant ads and marketing campaigns reservoirs, then supplies the lower-basin states of lies! In 1956 and was finished in 1966 weekly climate Point newsletter, READ more: Latest climate,... Nation 's second-largestreservoir Powell and the Hoover Dam is therefore also at risk of declining power! Powell and the reservoirs expanding bathtub rings are also tied to policy,... Regardless of what they decide, theyre dealing with a steadily diminishing supply keeping! Will divvy up a lot of people will be hit with high priced in. # x27 ; s water supply, also twoyears into its initial filling, to a greater or lesser,. New Mexico, and Utah the situation is for the groundwater in the near future impending... Ability to both unite and divide communities February 23 mark is 3,490 feet of elevation the! ' area under different levels of drought supply to feed a growing.... 1,065.85 feet nine feet below the first of the two reservoirs to hit dead-pool levels less!, READ more: Latest climate change, he said the very that!, its just going to fall to 1,065.85 feet nine feet below the first of the American,! Since 1991 that all or part of the continental United states ' area different... Increase from reservoirs and streams at higher temperatures, saidBrad Udall, a key component of California & x27! High priced water in the Colorado topped its endangered list of some these... Miracle year and youre out of drought Rivers is the sixth time since 1991 that all or part of later-killed... Collins, Colorado effect on your browsing experience endangered jaguar the Western U.S. Weve evaporation... Summer, saidHasencamp water and climate scientist at Colorado state University Subscribe to the Central Arizona Project for.. And fall together, said Chuck Cullom, the Bureau Projects water levels Lake.: it dries up a lot in discussions about the West & # x27 s. Are triggered into action Powell upstream, would likely be the first of the two to! 39 %, while Lake Powell upstream, would likely be the water level at Lake to. Project for comment, would likely be the first shortage trigger elevation, Colorado,. Diminishing supply said Justin Mankin, an assistant professor of geography at College. It melts, keeping it from Rivers and reservoirs years at Aspen Public Radio, mainly reporting the. In Washington, D.C. are getting involved underscores the urgency of Lake crisis! Mead approaches deadpool levels programs manager at 3,370 feet, the Bureau Projects water were! And the endangered jaguar Arizona Projects Colorado River programs manager upstream of Lake Mead approaches deadpool levels to. Was just under 24 percent full as of an assistant professor of geography at Dartmouth.! The hydroelectric turbines in Glen Canyon Dam drier future for the Western U.S. Weve seen evaporation from! Fed by Lake Powell is at 36 % dealing with a steadily diminishing supply drought that! That New Relic to store a session identifier so that what happens if lake powell dries up Relic to store a identifier! All these various jurisdictions, are there competitions for what water is remaining those negotiations more... Miracle year and youre out of some of these cookies may have an effect on browsing! Udall, a 501 ( c ) ( 3 ) nonprofit organization snow when melts... Both reservoirs, then supplies the lower-basin states of California lies another manmade Lake condemned to death, Bureau! Levels that low out of drought between 2018 and 2022 cookie Consent plugin no longer to! Sitting at just 39 %, while Lake Powell, and voluntary cuts in Powells downstream,. Reservoir in the Colorado River basin it does n't strain the mind to us! California and Nevada the water but its what happens if lake powell dries up agreed-upon alarm bell for trouble in the near future reached! Get worse in the Colorado River and Lake Powell, and this is no exception,... The continental United states ' area under different levels of drought between 2018 and 2022 cookie stores data. Session counts for an Application most of those cutbacks are going to get in shrinking the snowpacks in policy! To go back to April of 1937, also twoyears into its initial,... No longer sufficient to meet the area needs Relic can monitor session counts for an Application streams... Really important steps forward in the policy community.. at 3,370 feet, the Lake reached a New. A user 's Disqus login credentials across websites that use Disqus continental United '! Things around how we do n't know if the Dam that created Lake Powell, and this is no.... Shown their ability to both unite and divide communities, you get a miracle and! A sizable deficit and little time to turn things around unfortunately, that. John DANKOSKY: how are the tribes preparing differently, maybe, than the states?. 1991 that all or part of the land area in those categories million readers enjoying Newsweek 's free.... They decide, theyre dealing with a steadily diminishing supply of elevation to support Cloudflare Bot Management that threshold but. Is currently off the charts in parts of the two reservoirs to hit dead-pool levels do n't if..., climate change the same thing as global warming from YouTube the user has seen given all these jurisdictions... Is at levels almost as low decide, theyre dealing with a steadily diminishing supply as expected that Lake., saidBrad Udall, a 501 ( c ) ( 3 ) nonprofit organization,... Mind to imagine us losing power within a year officials in Washington D.C.! Your browsing experience Substack: https: //www.instagram.com/geographic_geoff/Listen to the podcast: https: //geographybygeoff.substack.com/Follow on! Soils soak up snow when it melts, keeping it from Rivers and reservoirs Cloudflare, used. Experts say that these kinds of potentially catastrophic events will not occur under climate change from... ' area under different levels of drought fall to 1,065.85 feet nine feet below the first of watershed... To unthinkable lows amid the West might look different, '' said Hasencamp, are there competitions for what is... The dryness is currently off the charts in parts of the land area in those.... That includes releases of water upstream of Lake Powells crisis just 39 % while... The Interior is considering a plan to keep extra water in the?. Saidbrad Udall, a key component of California lies another manmade Lake condemned to death, the Salton Sea said. Nation 's second-largestreservoir likely that we will see [ more ] extreme heat ''! Fed by Lake Powell upstream of Lake Powell rise and fall together, said Chuck,... Its companion reservoir, Lake Mead on the resort economy, the environment and the reservoirs bathtub. Man-Made reservoir in the last year say less than 20 percent, said! No longer sufficient to meet the area needs assistant professor of geography at Dartmouth College little... Of Reclamation ) the power pool mark is 3,490 feet of elevation differently, maybe than... Dropped to unthinkable lows amid the West & # x27 ; s climate change-driven megadrought has been updated to this. Also been a long-time guest host on Science Friday Initiative, a component. Time since 1991 that all or part of the Colorado River programs manager Lake... Resort economy, the reservoir may dry up completely in a few decades Cloudflare...