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. By Leia Larsen. Forecasts are calling for 4.1 million acre-feet of water to flow into Lake Powell from April to July this year, but water managers are obligated to release more than 7 million acre-feet out of the lake. Releases from Glen Canyon Dam can also fluctuate beyond scheduled releases when called upon to respond to unscheduled power outages or power system emergencies. Lake Mead's water levels . The picture was much different 59 years ago, when the giant storage reservoir on the Colorado River was filling, its electricity helping power the West and the revenue from its power sales helping fund endangered fish protection programs across the Colorado River Basin. Click for Details, Current Snowpack Conditions for Upper Colorado Basin. The Colorado River cuts through dry land that was once covered by Lake Powell on September 7, 2022, near Hite, Utah. In the image acquired on May 1, 2004, the reservoirs northwestern branch is isolated from the main reservoir; the shallow water upstream could not crest raised areas in the lakebed. The plan can be found at the following website: https://www.usbr.gov/dcp/droa.html. endstream endobj startxref Global warming is expected to make droughts more severe in the future. "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. In the latter half of the decade, the drought eased somewhat. According to Reclamation, there is a 27% chance that Powell will still stop generating electricity completely over the next four years. Depending on the severity of the system emergency, the response from Glen Canyon Dam can be significant, within the full range of the operating capacity of the power plant for as long as is necessary to maintain balance in the transmission system. 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! The sediment-filled Colorado River appeared green-brown. 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. If Glen Canyon Dam ceases to operate, we are going to have to replace that power somewhere else and it will have a bigger carbon footprint, said Bryan Hannegan, CEO of Holy Cross Energy, which buys Lake Powells hydropower to serve customers in Western Colorado. Printable Version Gas Prices on Lake Detailed Map of Powell 15 Day Weather Forecast In addition to the February 2023 24-Month Study based on the Most Probable inflow scenario, and in accordance with the Drought Response Operational Agreement (DROA)), Reclamation has conducted model runs in February to determine a possible range of reservoir elevations. 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. 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. google_color_link = "0000FF"; WEco is funded by multiple donors. 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 Significant amounts of snowfall over the winter of 20102011 meant more water for Lake Powell, and this effect lasted into the spring of 2012. This was the lowest water levels have been since the lake was first constructed in the 1930s. Lake Powell is now at a historic low. LAKE POWELL, Utah Lake Powell water levels continue to drop, and a new report released by the Bureau of Reclamation projects the possibility America's . Melissa joined KNAU's team in 2015 to report on science, health, and the environment. Soil moisture conditions have improved over the last year across most of Colorados Western Slope, but thats not necessarily saying much because of how bad soil moisture conditions were heading into last years snowmelt runoff season, Moser said. n$L{Z. That projection is about 12 feet higher than the 2023 end-of-year mark in the bureau's forecast from December. As of Wednesday, the water level was 3,524.22 feet. 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. Official Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Changing Lake Levels Info. An acre-foot is the amount of water needed to fill one acre of land to a height of one foot. The reservoir's levels rise after consistent rain or snowpack melt in the area. 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. In the early years of this image series, water levels began to drop. Under the current most probable forecast, the total water year 2023 unregulated inflow to Lake Powell is projected to be 10.44 maf (109 percent of average). That reference period is updated once a decade; it now begins in the 1990s. The final NOAA forecast for the season predicts the amount of water to reach Lake Powell this year to be about 60% of average. 15 Day Weather Forecast Among the dams on the Colorado is Arizona's Glen Canyon Dam, which creates Lake Powell. Differences between the full period forecasts and the residual forecasts may not exactly equal the actual observed volumes due to rounding conventions (see Definitions section). The deep, narrow, meandering reservoir extends upstream into southern Utah. hVmO0+_'"Bi?H!R`Mkwj3#tq@x k8,Q\yDIU>H As air warms over time, less precipitation makes it to the reservoirs due to evaporation. To view the most current reservoir elevation projections, click on: Lake Powell Elevation Projections. It wasnt just the Powell number that dipped, although the amount of runoff that makes its way to Powell each year is considered a good barometer for conditions basinwide. Fresh Water News is an independent, non-partisan news initiative of Water Education Colorado. She can be reached at 720-398-6474, via email atjerd@wateredco.orgor @jerd_smith. Prepared by Ashley Nielson NOAA, National Weather Service Colorado Basin River Forecast Center Salt Lake City, Utah www.cbrfc.noaa.gov Contents Precipitation declines combined with booming urban populations will present a significant challenge to Western water managers in the near future. The annual release volume from Lake Powell during water year 2023 will be 7.77 maf under the Lower Elevation Balancing Tier and will balance the contents between Powell and Mead with annual release volumes from Glen Canyon Dam between 7.00 maf and 9.50 maf as determined under Section 6.D.1 and 7.D of the Interim Guidelines as determined by the Department of the Interior as described above. google_color_border = "FFFFFF"; Fresh Water News is an independent, nonpartisan news initiative of Water Education Colorado. These projections are critical for planning for an increasingly dry future in the Colorado River Basin, but a new paper from Utah State University says the model may still underestimate the risk. 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. The March 2023 releases are anticipated to fluctuate between a low of 5,276 cfs to a high of 9,641 cfs. "These reservoirs are huge," Lund said. Drop us a note at tips@coloradosun.com. The lake is set to reach. The end of January elevation and storage of Lake Powell were 3,523.45 feet (177 feet from full pool) and 5.45 million acre-feet (maf) (23 percent of live capacity), respectively. To view the current inflow forecast relative to past inflows, click on Lake Powell Inflow Forecast. At the beginning of water year 2023, total system storage in the Colorado River Basin was 19.54 maf (33 percent of 58.48 maf total system capacity). Based on the current forecast of 10.44 maf unregulated inflow for water year 2023, the February 24-Month Study projects Lake Powell elevation will end water year 2023 near 3555.45 feet with approximately 7.47 maf in storage (32 percent of capacity). (2007). KNAU's Melissa Sevigny reports. "We might get lucky with the weather, but the idea of the system recovering is really hard unless you reduce water use in that basin," Lund told Newsweek. But generally below-normal precipitation the last several months after a very wet December.. Low water effects to launch ramps and services top Lake Powell Elevation (05/18/2022) 3526.05 ft Stay in the know! Upper Colorado Region Water Operations: Current Status: Lake Powell, Spring Snow Brings Moisture to Colorado Front Range, NASA Goddard Space Changes in the northeastern reaches of Lake Powell are documented in this series of natural-color images taken by the Landsat series of satellites between 1999 and 2021. SW Water Vapor, Accessibility of Launch Ramps, Primitive Launches and Other Sites Committee on the Scientific Bases of Colorado River Basin Water Management, National Research Council. Precipitation was better, but still slightly below normal in the Upper Colorado River Basin. google_ad_type = "text_image"; Few expected to ever see this drop in hydropower production, let alone consider what to do if Glen Canyon were to cease electricity production entirely. Wednesday snow and wind will be heavy at times leading to difficult if not impossible travel. Mitchell declined to discuss the pending drought operations plan. //2006-10-04: news 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. 0.523 maf in Lake Powell from December 2022 through April 2023. google_color_bg = "FFFFFF"; The declines were first apparent in the side canyons feeding the reservoir which thinned and then shortened. We need to get ourselves prepared," he says. By Anna Skinner On 1/18/23 at 4:42 PM EST. The unregulated inflow volume to Lake Powell during January was 361 thousand acre-feet (kaf) (107 percent of average). Was 361 thousand acre-feet ( kaf ) ( 107 percent of average ) severe in the latter half the. 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