As Lake Powell shrinks, marinas are having to adapt to dwindling water levels
Marinas are adding ramps, moving docks and clearing sediment as low water creates navigation hazards and threatens hydroelectric generation.
- As of July 12, the combined water levels in Lake Powell and Lake Mead fell to historic lows, levels not seen since the 1957 construction of the Glen Canyon Dam.
- The Colorado River has shrunk rapidly over the past 25 years as water demand boomed and climate change delivered hotter, drier weather; today, 95% of the basin is in drought.
- Powell is currently about 23% full, forcing costly adaptations; Antelope Point Holdings plans to spend about $81 million extending ramps, while Bullfrog Bay marina relocation costs an estimated $73.4 million.
- Interior Secretary Doug Burgum held a virtual meeting with governors on Tuesday to address drought conditions, while the Bureau of Reclamation plans to release new operating guidelines in the coming weeks.
- Urgent investment in efficient irrigation is essential, warns Jack Schmidt, director of the Center for Colorado River Studies at Utah State University, as experts say relying on future snowpack alone cannot prevent system failure.
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85 Articles
The Sites Reservoir project, planned for many years in the US state of California, has faced an unexpected obstacle. The permitting process for the reservoir, which is planned to be built with an investment of approximately $6 billion and is intended to be the largest new water storage facility in the last 50 years, is ongoing.
Omaha World-Herald
Game and Parks adapting Lake Mac access for lower water
Lake McConaughy State Recreation Area in Keith County continues to offer abundant opportunities for boating, fishing, paddling, swimming and shoreline recreation this summer.
'That would be insane': CNN anchor stunned by 'ticking time bomb' threatening millions
A crisis potentially facing millions of unaware Americans stunned CNN analysts Thursday who described the looming problem as "major" and "insane."The problem? Two key U.S. reservoirs has fallen to a historic low, threatening the water supply for tens of millions of Americans, CNN reported. Last week Lake Powell fell to 3,524 feet and Lake Mead to just under 1,043 feet, breaking a record set in March 2023, CNN's Bill Weir reported. The Colorado R…
Historically low water level in two crucial U.S. reservoirs threatens water and power for millions
The combined water level in two of the United States’ biggest reservoirs, Lake Powell and Lake Mead, has fallen to a historic low, in what experts are calling a significant moment in the Colorado River crisis — threatening a water system that supplies tens of millions.
Western reservoirs fall to record low levels
Lake Mead and Lake Powell, the country's two largest reservoirs, have fallen to their lowest combined levels on record, a grim marker in the deepening water crisis across seven states that depend on the Colorado River.
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