Lake Powell Is Now 30 Feet From Losing Its Power-Generating Capacity

The water levels in the nation's second-largest reservoir dropped to record levels on Saturday, prompting climatologists to raise the red flag about the impacts of the ongoing drought. Here is what you need to know about the deepening water crisis in the West.

Worsening Drought Sends Water Levels to Record Lows

History was made on Saturday when water levels at Lake Powell slid down to 3,519.91 feet, breaking the previous record low of 3,519.92 feet from April of 2023. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation said on Sunday that the reservoir is now less than 30 feet away from when the dam will be incapable of producing hydropower.

The new historic low for Lake Powell was hit just nine days after nearby Lake Mead also fell to its lowest level since being filled about 90 years ago. Lake Mead is the largest reservoir in the U.S., with both bodies of water holding about 60% of the total water stored in the Colorado River basin. The decline of both reservoirs is presenting big concerns for the part of the country that relies on these water sources.

The Colorado River starts high in the Rocky Mountains and flows down into the Gulf of California in Mexico. The river is fueled by the annual melting snowpack, providing water to approximately 40 million people across California, Nevada, Colorado, Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, and Wyoming. The water that originates from this river also irrigates over 5 million acres of farmland, making it vitally important to agricultural interests in the region.

Why Are the Reservoirs Drying Up?

The lack of snow this winter, combined with general climate change trends, has continued to chip away at the water levels of both reservoirs as the Colorado River is not sending down as much water.  In addition to supplying crucial water supplies, Lake Powell and the adjacent Glen Canyon Dam also generate hydropower.

While Lake Powell's water levels have always fluctuated, this year has been particularly hard. Experts warn that the reservoir is now heading toward what is known as "minimum power pool," the level at which water levels will not be enough to power the turbines and produce electricity.

According to Brad Udall, a senior water and climate research scientist at Colorado State University, a "scary threshold" is on the horizon in the months ahead unless “extraordinary measures” are taken. Should Lake Powell fall below 3,370 feet, water would no longer flow downstream into the areas that need it the most. Metro areas such as Phoenix and Tucson are already preparing for a worst-case scenario by ensuring that they have backup water supplies on hand.

The sliver of good news is that the intensifying El Niño climate pattern could bring more rain showers and snow to the Southwest this fall and winter. A wet winter is just what the region needs to help alleviate the deepening drought; however, climatologists say that it will take more than one wet season to mitigate the water crisis in the years to come.

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