Lake Powell Drops to Lowest Level Ever Recorded
- On Saturday, Lake Powell dropped to 3,519.91 feet above sea level, breaking its previous record low of 3,519.92 feet set in April 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
- Persistent overuse combined with a record-dry winter and rising temperatures have depleted the Colorado River Basin's storage, leaving both Lake Powell and Lake Mead at historic lows.
- Lake Powell now sits roughly 30 feet above the 3,490-foot 'minimum power pool' threshold, where Glen Canyon Dam's turbines would stop generating electricity for nearly 500,000 households.
- Federal water managers proposed a 10-year management plan requiring Arizona, California, and Nevada to cut water usage by 20% by 2028 to stabilize the Colorado River system.
- "We are in uncharted territory," said Jack Schmidt, director of the Center for Colorado River Studies at Utah State University, warning that even record snowpack cannot reverse long-term declines without significant policy changes.
126 Articles
126 Articles
The water level in the two largest reservoirs in the United States has fallen dramatically, which could soon affect drinking water supply, electricity prices and agriculture.
Their water levels are now just above the threshold from which electricity production would be affected.
Two largest US reservoirs hit record lows amid western drought
The new records highlight the difficulties fueled by climate change facing the Colorado River, a crucial resource for 40 million people. The river feeds both Lake Powell and Lake Mead, two reservoirs created by massive dams built to distribute water year-round and generate electricity. Their water levels are now just above the threshold at which electricity production would be affected. On Sunday, the level of Lake Powell, which lies mostly in U…
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