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By Joe Edwards
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Federal water managers ordered emergency actions to shore up Lake Powell, moving water from upstream Flaming Gorge reservoir and reducing releases to Lake Mead, amid record-low snowpack and deepening drought on the Colorado River.
Lake Powell, the nation’s second-largest reservoir, sits near levels that could threaten hydropower production at Glen Canyon Dam and potentially impede reliable releases to Lake Mead, which serves California, Arizona and Nevada, risking water deliveries and the Western power grid.
Why It Matters
The Colorado River system, which includes Lakes Mead and Powell, irrigates over 5 million acres of farmland, and provides water to tens of millions of people in the western U.S., according to the National Agricultural Law Center.
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The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) said Friday that prolonged drought has cut storage in the Colorado River system to roughly 36 percent of capacity, with record-low snowpack and unusually warm March temperatures worsening drought conditions across the Basin.
“These compounding factors are creating elevated risks to essential water and power infrastructure that supply water to more than 40 million people, underscoring the need for immediate action,” it said.
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What To Know
The USBR said it will lower Glen Canyon Dam releases to 6 million acre-feet through late September, down from 7.48 million acre-feet.
The agency will also release between 660,000 acre-feet and 1 million acre-feet from Flaming Gorge in Wyoming and Utah over the next year to bolster Powell’s elevation.
Reclamation’s modeling shows Powell could fall below 3,490 feet—the minimum power pool level—by August without intervention.
“If Glen Canyon Dam declines below 3,490 feet, water releases would be only through the river outlet works, which could cause operational issues, uncertainty for users, downstream impacts, instability in regional power and water supplies, and a reduction in power generation,” USBR said.
The Bureau said it anticipates the actions to raise Powell’s elevation by around 54 feet to at least 3,500 feet by April 2027—thereby avoiding the 3,490-foot threshold where power production could be jeopardized.
What Happens Next
USBR said that proposed reductions in releases from Lake Powell would speed the decline of water levels downstream at Lake Mead, potentially cutting Hoover Dam’s hydropower generation capacity by as much as an additional 40 percent as early as this fall.
Reclamation also warned that initial drought response measures could affect recreation across the region, including earlier seasonal limits on boating at upstream reservoirs, more difficult rafting and fishing conditions in the Grand Canyon, and further restrictions on boating access at Lake Mead National Recreation Area.
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