lake powell water level forecast 2022

To view the 2023 progession of snowpack above Lake Powell, click on Lake Powell Snow Chart. Hourly releases during February 2023 will fluctuate from a low of approximately 5,797 cfs during the early morning hours to a high of 10,091 cfs during the afternoon and evening hours. Arizona Public Radio | Your Source for NPR News, PublishedFebruary 28, 2022 at 5:00 AM MST. The lake level began to rebound; only the 2008 image appeared to deviate from the trend toward rising water levels. It took decades for Lake Powell to reach catastrophically low levels, and according to one expert, it'll take a long time to restore the levels, too. It took decades for Lake Powell to reach catastrophically low levels, and according to one expert . The elevations listed in the August 2022 24-Month Study report reflected the projected physical elevations at each reservoir after implementing operations as described for water year 2023 tier determination purposes. Under system normal conditions, fluctuations for regulation are typically short lived and generally balance out over the hour with minimal or no noticeable impacts on downstream river flow conditions. If you have feedback on content, format, or publication frequency, please contact us. Shortages have been implemented by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in areas like Arizona as water levels in the reservoir have consistently dropped for the past 10 years. The Bureau of Reclamation's most recent projections show Lake Mead dropping to 1,033.4 feet in elevation by the end of 2023, about 14 feet lower than the reservoir's current level. In March 2022, it fell below a critical level of 3,525 feet above sea levelthe lake's target elevation. Updated: 10:18 PM MDT April 26, 2022 DENVER Lake Powell, on the Utah-Arizona state line, is part of a river system that supplies water to 40 million people. Last week, the Bureau of Reclamation announced extraordinary action to keep the water level at Powell from dropping too low, which could threaten hydropower production at Powells Glen Canyon Dam. WEco is funded by multiple donors. Get the most up to date information on Lake Powell's water levels and the status of launch ramps from the Bureau of Reclamation, National Park Service, and more with the links and pages below. "We might get lucky with the weather, but the idea of the system recovering is really hard unless you reduce water use in that basin," Lund told Newsweek. The Water Desk launched in April 2019 with support from the Walton Family Foundation. As a news piece, this article cites verifiable, third-party sources which have all been thoroughly fact-checked and deemed credible by the Newsroom in accordance with the Civil Constitution. Learn more at, Photos: Heron Lake, New Mexico, August 2022, Data viz: Elephant Butte Reservoir levels, to increase the volume, depth and power of journalism, https://www.watereducationcolorado.org/fresh-water-news/, www.watereducationcolorado.org/fresh-water-news/. By, What We Know, And What You Can Do To Help. Credit: Alex Hager. Reclamation will continue to consult with the Basin States, Basin Tribes, the Republic of Mexico and other partners on Colorado River operations to consider and determine whether additional measures should be taken to further enhance the preservation of these benefits, as well as recovery protocols, including those of future protective measures for both Lakes Powell and Mead. Note that projections of elevation and storage for water year 2023 have significant uncertainty at this point in the season. Cheap sewer pipe repairs can push toxic fumes into homes and schools heres Hard water: In these metro neighborhoods, few drink the tap water. Differences between the full period forecasts and the residual forecasts may not exactly equal the actual observed volumes due to rounding conventions (see Definitions section). 192 0 obj <>stream Scientists say the current drought is the driest on record in the last twelve hundred years. (Due to the angle of sunlight, this image may cause an optical illusion known as relief inversion.). The probable maximum inflow scenario reflects a wet hydrologic condition which statistically would be exceeded 10 percent of the time. Shifting the period of record decreased the average unregulated inflow 1.20 maf. "These reservoirs are huge," Lund said. Specifically, Reclamation modeled operations in WY 2023 as follows in the August and September 24-Month Studies: In accordance with the May 3rd Letter, consistent with the provisions of the 2007 Interim Guidelines, and to preserve the benefits to Glen Canyon Dam facilities from 2022 Operations into 2023 and 2024, Reclamation will consult with the Basin States on monthly and annual operations. For additional information, the news release can be found here: https://www.usbr.gov/newsroom/news-release/4294. Water levels in Lake Powell dropped to a new record low on Tuesday. According to Jay Lund, vice director for the Center for Watershed Sciences and a professor at the University of California, the long-term average use in the lower Colorado River Basin exceeds the long-term flow of water, meaning the only solution is to "substantially reduce water use" in the basin. The final NOAA forecast for the season predicts the amount of water to reach Lake Powell this year to be about 60% of average. We are 41% through the Water Year. We maintain a strict editorial firewall between our funders and our journalism. :pNB/gb2D0p6Ecb :qD_q7wE42TOOSW:Oa^(-]p7y|iZ.8uq:}1y3bJ]!G ) ytRdJp2 +[|}QpEU}V'k{yeKud"xl_-x lJ!UZ`,n!\3{dcb Much of that water. Upper Colorado Region Water Operations: Current Status: Lake Powell, Spring Snow Brings Moisture to Colorado Front Range, NASA Goddard Space The most probable inflow scenario reflects a median hydrologic condition which statistically would be exceeded 50 percent of the time. The peak inflow to Lake Powell occurs in mid- to late spring, as the winter snow in the Rocky Mountains melts. In the early 21st century, this modern marvel of engineering faced an ancient enemy: prolonged drought in the American Southwest. Despite those releases, Powell dropped below 3,525 last month, hitting 3,523, another historic drought landmark. Low water effects to launch ramps and services top Lake Powell Elevation (05/18/2022) 3526.05 ft Stay in the know! Gas Prices on Lake These instantaneous release adjustments stabilize the electrical generation and transmission system and translate to a range of about 1,300 cfs above or below the hourly scheduled release rate. In the main body of Lake Powell, water pooled along its eastern edge, while large expanses of dry canyon floor were visible in the west. The Bureau of Reclamation announced on May 3, 2022, two separate urgent drought response actions that will help prop up Lake Powell by nearly 1 million acre-feet (maf) of water over the next 12 months (May 2022 through April 2023). View CFS Last 14 Measurements Lake Powell is down -1.03 feet over these measurements Averages for February 27th Last 10 February 27th's data records Changes in the northeastern reaches of Lake Powell are documented in this series of natural-color images taken by the Landsat series of satellites between 1999 and 2021. In addition to the February 2023 24-Month Study based on the Most Probable inflow scenario, and in accordance with the Drought Response Operational Agreement (DROA)), Reclamation has conducted model runs in February to determine a possible range of reservoir elevations. Although developing snowpack in the area is "fairly good" and might stave off dead pool in Lake Powell for another year or so, according to Lund, the solution lies with people conserving water. In July 2022, the lake reached a historic low of 1,040 feet above sea level. The Colorado River flows in from the east around Mille Crag Bend and is swallowed by the lake. This article contains new, firsthand information uncovered by its reporter(s). The grim forecast comes as water officials race to bolster Lake Powell's water levels. This 2022 Plan is described above and available for review here: https://www.usbr.gov/dcp/droa.html. So, it takes awhile to fill and it takes awhile to empty.". Lake Powells water levels plummeted in early 2005, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation. The unregulated inflow volume to Lake Powell during January was 361 thousand acre-feet (kaf) (107 percent of average). The Water Desks mission isto increase the volume, depth and power of journalismconnected to Western water issues. But in a statement, she said, The Upper Basin States are working collaboratively with the Bureau of Reclamation to draft a 2022 Drought Response Operations Plan outlining potential releases from Upper Basin reservoirs in an effort to protect critical elevations at Lake Powell. The forecast isnt great, said Kyle Whitaker, Colorado River Manager for the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, one of the largest diverters of water in the headwaters region of the river. Drop us a note at tips@coloradosun.com. In water year 2021 unregulated inflow volume to Lake Powell was 3.50 maf (36 percent of average), the second driest year on record above 2002. Printable Version Gas Prices on Lake Detailed Map of Powell 15 Day Weather Forecast a greater portion of the future hydrologic and climatic uncertainty becomes known and The Upper Basin reservoirs have already provided 161,000 acre-feet of water pursuant to the imminent need provision of the Drought Response Operations Agreement, including 36,000 acre-feet from Blue Mesa Reservoir in Colorado. water-data.com Lake Powell Water Database. Were an initiative of theCenter for Environmental Journalismat the University of Colorado Boulder. She grew up in Tucson, Arizona, where she fell in love with the ecology and geology of the Sonoran desert. The deep, narrow, meandering reservoir extends upstream into southern Utah. Dry conditions and falling water levels were unmistakable in the image from April 13, 2003. Forecasts are calling for 4.1 million acre-feet of water to flow into Lake Powell from April to July this year, but water managers are obligated to release more than 7 million acre-feet out of the lake. At the beginning of water year 2023, total system storage in the Colorado River Basin was 19.54 maf (33 percent of 58.48 maf total system capacity). (Hugh Carey, The Colorado Sun), How Denver is spending the $41M from the Broncos sale, (720) 263-2338 Call, text, Signal or WhatsApp, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. 2022, a day after Southern California delared a water . To view the most current monthly release projections, click on: Lake Powell Release Projections. Mitchell declined to discuss the pending drought operations plan. Lake Mead was at elevation 1,064.30 ft. with storage of 8.753 maf or 34 percent of capacity. n$L{Z. The plan can be found at the following website: https://www.usbr.gov/dcp/droa.html. Some Arizona cities have implemented drought management plans to conserve water, but the area continues to use water at a rate that negates Lake Powell's recovery. Using the approach described in the immediately preceding paragraph, the August 2022 24-Month Study projected the January 1, 2023, Lake Powell elevation to be less than 3,525 feet. google_color_link = "0000FF"; Powell was last within 2" of this elevation on Feb 11, 2023 There are currently 1,757,155,460,140 gallons of water in Lake Powell! KNAU's Melissa Sevigny reports. Wednesday snow and wind will be heavy at times leading to difficult if not impossible travel. On April 8, Reclamation announced it would likely keep more water in Lake Powell, reducing releases from the planned 7.5 million acre-feet to 7 million acre-feet, a move that could trigger emergency water cutbacks in Arizona, California and Nevada. Surface Water Elevation (feet) Lake Powell End of Month Elevations1 . Combined with water withdrawals that many believe are not sustainable, the drought has caused a dramatic drop in Lake Powells water level. Close Become a member Login My Account Logout Search for:Search News Education Health Coloradans Equity Sun Investigation Crime and Courts Culture Sports The system is appreciated for the water it supplies, but criticized for the environmental problems and cultural losses that have resulted from its creation. The 30-year average was updated in October 2022 from 1981 through 2010 to 1991 through 2020. The forecast for water year 2023 unregulated inflow to Lake Powell, issued on January 5, 2023, by the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center, projects that the most probable (median) unregulated inflow volume in water year 2023 will be 9.5 maf (99 percent of average). Correction: This article has been corrected to indicate that Lake Powell began filling 59 years ago, not 60 years, as the original article stated. Lake Powell