The History of Lake Powell
Lake Powell is an enormous reservoir located on the Colorado River, encompassing parts of Arizona and Utah.
Source: Wikimedia
The reservoir was created shortly after the completion of the Glen Canyon Dam in 1963. The latter held back the Colorado River, leading to the formation of Lake Powell.
The Second Largest Reservoir in the US
The region surrounding Lake Powell is a popular tourist destination and attracts a staggering 2 million visitors each year. It is currently the second largest man-made reservoir in terms of maximum water capacity found anywhere in the US.
Source: Wikimedia
Lake Powell can store an astonishing 24,322,000 acre-feet of water when at maximum capacity.
Increased Demand for Water From Lake Powell
Due to increased demand placed upon the Colorado River for human and agricultural use, Lake Powell and Lake Mead, another nearby reservoir, have diminished in size on several occasions during the 21st century.
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In recent years, the reservoirs have lost considerable volume, depth, and surface area, leading officials to implement water management strategies to replenish their stores.
Increased Water Levels at Lake Powell
This year, officials were excited to announce that Lake Powell is experiencing a surge in its water level, marking a record high over the past three years.
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According to experts, water conservation combined with a bout of wet weather are two key factors in the increased water level witnessed at Lake Powell.
Lake Powell’s Elevation Climbs Well Above 2023 Level
The rise in water level couldn’t have come at a better time. Just one year ago, Lake Powell reached record lows, and officials were worried the body of water would drop below the threshold needed for the Glen Canyon Dam to function and generate electricity for the region.
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According to researchers, Lake Powell’s elevation is now around 3,586 feet, which is around 60 feet higher than what was recorded last year.
Residents of Three States Help Replenish Lake Powell
The recent surge in elevation was an unexpected turn of events, as researchers had projected the lake to experience below-average runoff.
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Nonetheless, the effective conservation strategies implemented by officials and carried out by water users located in Arizona, California, and Nevada appear to have helped replenish the reservoir.
Colorado River Lower Basin States Reduce Their Usage
According to Newsweek, Arizona and Nevada have significantly reduced their reliance on water from the Colorado River, resulting in low levels of usage not witnessed since 1991.
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California followed suit by substantially reducing the amount of water it draws from rivers, achieving its lowest usage since the middle of the 20th century.
Lake Powell is Over 40 Percent Full, Says Researchers
The recent surge has reduced the chances of severe water cutbacks for the Lower Basin states, which heavily rely on Lake Powell’s vital water supply for their daily lives.
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According to the researchers, Lake Powell is over 42% full, a dramatic increase from the 23% observed in February 2023 and the 35% experienced at the end of 2023.
Preventing a Future Crisis at Lake Powell
Jennifer Gimbel, senior water policy scholar at the Colorado Water Center, shared her thoughts on some of the most effective long-term water conservation strategies that may help the Lower Basin states avoid a future crisis at Lake Powell.
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“Although long-term strategies may be available, in the short term, most federal money has been spent on temporarily drying up irrigated lands, which has helped for now. Long-term strategies include further efforts by municipalities to reduce water consumption through turf management, eliminating nonfunctional turf and decorative plantings along mediums,” she said.
Expert Suggests Farmers Should Transition to Crops that Use Less Water
Gimbel continued by suggesting state governments need to assist farmers by investing in agricultural practices that can help them transition to crops that use less water.
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She continued, “To change a crop, the agricultural producer must change his entire business model, from what seed he orders, to equipment for that special crop, to markets to sell final product. This is not cheap and can cause changes in the rural economy as well as for the agricultural producers.”
Lake Powell May Still Face a Future Crisis
The implementation of water conservation strategies followed by the residents of Lower Basin states highlights the benefits of such programs and how they may help other struggling regions in the US.
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Despite the positivity surrounding the increased water level at Lake Powell, it may still be vulnerable to future problems. Officials are hopeful that a continuation of the water management strategies set in place can divert them away from a crisis in the coming years.
Lake Mead Records High Water Levels
Powell isn’t the only notable lake in the region that has experienced healthier water levels. Lake Mead, which is the US’s largest human-made reservoir, hit the water marker of 1,067.08 feet in June 2024.
Source: Nicola Delfino/Flickr
At this same time last year, the recorded water level reached 1,055 feet. When the reservoir is filled, it can reach 1,229 feet.
The Reservoir’s Water Level Falls
The Arizona-Nevada reservoir provides water for nearly 25 million people living across the region, but the consistently low water levels due to drought conditions in recent years have depleted its resources.
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While the lake has recovered slightly in the last year due to unusual wet weather and gradually climbed before the summer months, officials are closely monitoring the water levels.
Water Levels Normal Fluctuate
During the summer months, it is normal to see the lake’s water levels fluctuate. But any decreases in the water level, especially in a reservoir that provides water for millions of people in the Southwestern US for agricultural, municipal, and industrial uses, sparks concern.
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Without an appropriate water supply, farmers and urban residents could struggle to continue their day-to-day lives with security.
Suffering from the Drought
Lakes Mead and Powell are both critical for water supply in the Southwestern US and have both suffered due to the prolonged drought.
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“The combined storage of Lakes Powell and Mead, the two large reservoirs on the Colorado River, has declined somewhat since the beginning of the year,” Jennifer Pitt, director of the National Audubon Society’s Colorado River Project, told Newsweek.
The Projected Water Levels
According to the Bureau of Reclamation’s projections, on January 1, 2025, Lake Mead will have water levels 1,062.32 feet above sea level, while Lake Powell will be at 3,574.08 feet above sea level.
Source: Carlin Harris/Pexels
As of August 15, Lake Mead is at 1,062.05 feet above sea level, and Lake Powell is at 3,582.34 feet, Lakes Online showed. These projects mean that a water shortage is coming.
Predicted Water Shortage
According to the data, the projected levels for next year are enough to keep the Colorado River in a Tier 1 water shortage. This is the least severe shortage condition.
Source: Yogendra Singh/Pexel
This type of water shortage, which was also reportedly declared in 2021, means that farmers will see a restriction on water supplies, and cities will have to reduce the amount of water available.
The Fear of Dead Pool
Those watching the water levels in these lakes are most concerned about the dead pools, which happen when the water levels are so low in a reservoir that water can no longer flow downstream.
Source: Jason Wong
If a reservoir like Lakes Mead and Powell hits a dead pool, then they become incapable of providing water to agricultural areas, cities, and hydroelectric plants.
40 Million People at Stake
“[Dead pool] would mean no hydropower, no water supply. So there are 40 million people who rely on the Colorado River, and if there’s no water coming through Hoover Dam that affects the water supply for 40 million people,” Robert Glennon, a water policy and law expert and an emeritus professor at the University of Arizona, told Newsweek.
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“And we’re talking about the Great Western cities, southwestern cities. We’re talking about farmers and we’re talking about tribes,” Glennon added.
Increasing Concerns
If water levels decrease enough that this becomes a concern, officials will put more severe water shortage tiers into effect.
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While these tiers are designed to help reductions in water delivery when water levels drop below specific thresholds, there will be notable water shortages that would affect water users in Arizona, Nevada, and California.
The Most Common Tier
Under Tier 1, which is likely to go into effect in 2025, southern Nevada will see a 7% cut from its standard allocation from the Colorado River. However, the water conservation efforts that are currently in place in Nevada mean that the residents won’t notice a difference in their water usage.
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Arizona will see an 18% cut from its standard 2.4 million acre-foot allotment, while California won’t experience any reductions.
The Second Most Critical Tier
Tier 2 has two levels in it. Under Tier 2a and 2b, Arizona and Nevada see larger cuts in water usage, but California won’t see any decreases in its water usage.
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This is because California gets most of its water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, while the other two states rely heavily on Lakes Powell and Mead.
The Most Critical Tier
Tier 3 reflects the most critical conditions, and is put in place when Lake Mead’s water levels drop below 1,025 feet. But water conservation groups believe Tier 1 may overestimate the amount of water that will be in Lakes Mead and Powell in the coming months.
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“The Bureau is telling us to expect more big winters, but the data shows the Bureau keeps overestimating future flows,” Eric Balken, the executive director of the Glen Canyon Institute, said in a statement. “One or two bad winters and we are back in crisis mode at Powell and Mead. That is the real story.”