Western Drought

[RedRoxx44]

From Dr. Jeff Masters Wonderblog ( on Weather Underground)

For the first time in history, the U.S. government has ordered that flow of Colorado River water from the 50-year-old Glen Canyon Dam be slashed, due to a water crisis brought about by the region's historic 14-year drought. On Friday, the Federal Bureau of Reclamation--a division of the Department of Interior that manages water and electric power in the West--announced that it would cut water released from Lake Powell's Glen Canyon Dam by 750,000 acre-feet in 2014. An acre-foot is the amount of water that will cover an acre of land one foot deep; 750,000 acre-feet is enough water to supply at least 750,000 homes for one year. The flow reduction will leave the Colorado River 9% below the 8.23 million acre feet that is supposed to be supplied downstream to Lake Mead for use in California, Nevada, Arizona and Mexico under the Colorado River Compact of 1922 and later agreements. "This is the worst 14-year drought period in the last hundred years," said Upper Colorado Regional Director Larry Walkoviak in a Bureau of Reclamation press release.

In the winter of 2005, Lake Powell reached its lowest level since filling, an elevation 150' below full pool. Lake levels recovered some in during 2005 - 2011, but the resurgence of severe to extreme drought conditions have provoked a steep decline in 2012 and 2013, with the lake falling 35' over the past year. As of August 18, 2013, Lake Powell was 109' below full pool (45% of capacity), and was falling at a rate of one foot every six days."


Get ready for higher water prices and stricter conservation ???

[Jim]

https://lakemead.water-data.com/
https://www.newsweek.com/lake-mead-wate ... rd-2087164

@azbackpackr
Wouldn't it be the other way around, release water to keep Mead up for Vegas water intakes? Also, what about water below Mead and the All American Canal, Colorado River Aqueduct, and CAP diversions, which depend on Mead not having a dead pool? Dead pool is actually at 895 for Mead, and I doubt that becomes an issue anytime in the next 5 years.

"The longer we wait, the worse it will get and there's a specific reason for this. The Grand Canyons in the west are V-shaped, like a martini glass. So they're very wide at the top and very narrow at the bottom.

"We're now getting close to the bottom. And in each foot of elevation at the narrow section of the canyon, holds less water. So we can drop a heck of a lot faster than the feet way up higher.

From the newsweek article.

Could be interesting, over the next 18 months. I expect that quote applies to Powell, as well.

Play with the graphs for the last 5 years for the lakes. Mead is now tracking into the lows of 2022. Powell tracks close to 2021. Both came up after 2023, which was wet. So, we've been down here before and come up, but now we're dropping again. I can only see the last 5 year, and would like to know what makes this time different (if it is) that forecasters are calling for things like Powell below the turbine intakes in 18 months.