lake powell water level forecast 2022lake powell water level forecast 2022

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. This was the lowest water levels have been since the lake was first constructed in the 1930s. The unregulated inflow volume to Lake Powell during January was 361 thousand acre-feet (kaf) (107 percent of average). The northwestern side branch of Lake Powell remained cut off from the rest of the reservoir. "As a result of this update, the median water year 2022 inflow forecast into Lake Powell decreased by 800,000 acre-feet," USBR stated in a press release distributed Thursday. Upper Colorado Region Water Operations: Current Status: Lake Powell, Spring Snow Brings Moisture to Colorado Front Range, NASA Goddard Space The May report, released last week, is the final runoff prediction for the season. There is approximately an 80 percent probability that a future elevation will fall inside the range of the minimum and maximum inflow scenarios. Water availability, appropriate timing of releases, and impacts on other resources are all being considered as the 2022 Plan is being drafted.. | March 17, 2022, 6:57 a.m. As predicted, southern Utah's Lake Powell has fallen below a critical level that soon could threaten its ability . Across most of the streams and rivers of the Upper Basin, forecasted runoff ranges from very poor (50% of average) to mediocre (80% of average).. Last Reading: 3522.33 on Feb 12, 2023. Last July, to protect the 3,525 buffer zone, Reclamation ordered emergency water releases from three reservoirs in the Upper Colorado River Basin. The lake is set to reach. google_ad_channel ="2397569894"; Lake Powell Water Supply Outlook, February 1, 2022 Note: This publication is scheduled for revision. Utahs Flaming Gorge, Colorados Blue Mesa and New Mexicos Navajo. As of Tuesday, February 28th, 2023 where elevation was 3521.04', Copyright Summit Technologies, Inc.1999 - 2023Site Views Today: 0Page Views Today: 0, The 28 tracked reservoirs above Lake Powell are currently at 58.69% of capacity. From there, a swing to the northeast delivers boats into Lake Powell's main artery. By Anna Skinner On 1/18/23 at 4:42 PM EST. Part of the Glen Canyon Conservancy Family, Utah D.O.T Charles Hall Ferry for UT Route 276. GCC is the official nonprofit partner of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area & Rainbow Bridge National Monument. //2006-10-04: news Across the region, water utilities are in high-alert mode, preparing for another dry year on the Colorado River and holding hope that the Upper Basin reservoirs can be protected as long as possible from large-scale drought releases. Winter Storm Warnings are in effect for elevations above 4000.Heavy accumulations of 10-20 are forecast above 6000, 3-8 to 4500 and several inches to valley floors. As of Wednesday, the water level was 3,524.22 feet. 15 Day Weather Forecast 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. WEco is funded by multiple donors. Water Summary Today is day 136 of 365 for the Water Year 2023. So, it takes awhile to fill and it takes awhile to empty.". Jian Wang of Utahs Center for Colorado River Studies says that means the projections may be too optimistic. The reservoir's levels rise after consistent rain or snowpack melt in the area. google_ad_type = "text_image"; The Colorado River cuts through dry land that was once covered by Lake Powell on September 7, 2022, near Hite, Utah. endstream endobj 160 0 obj <>/Metadata 41 0 R/Pages 157 0 R/StructTreeRoot 59 0 R/Type/Catalog/ViewerPreferences 177 0 R>> endobj 161 0 obj <>/MediaBox[0 0 792 612]/Parent 157 0 R/Resources<>/Font<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI]/XObject<>>>/Rotate 0/StructParents 0/Tabs/S/Type/Page>> endobj 162 0 obj <>stream Lake Powell has several launch ramps along its 186-mile length. Based on the current forecast of 10.44 maf unregulated inflow for water year 2023, the February 24-Month Study projects Lake Powell elevation will end water year 2023 near 3555.45 feet with approximately 7.47 maf in storage (32 percent of capacity). 2022, a day after Southern California delared a water . n$L{Z. google_color_border = "FFFFFF"; Detailed Map of Powell Water levels in Lake Powell dropped to a new record low on Tuesday. As of September 20, 2021, the water elevation at Glen Canyon Dam was 3,546.93 feet, more than 153 feet below "full pool" (elevation 3,700 feet). To view the most current monthly release projections, click on: Lake Powell Release Projections. Click for Details, Current Snowpack Conditions for Upper Colorado Basin. These projections are critical for planning for an increasingly dry future in the Colorado River Basin, but a new paper from Utah State University says the model may still underestimate the risk. The forecast estimated that the amount of water that will flow into Lake Powell this spring and summer will be about 59% of average, based on 30 years of data from 1991 to 2020. For additional information, see the following news release: https://www.usbr.gov/newsroom/#/news-release/4196. KNAUs Melissa Sevigny reports. New 1991-2020 Averages being used this year. Encompassing all or parts of Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Utah and Wyoming. Mitchell declined to discuss the pending drought operations plan. google_color_url = "426C95"; At the same time, electric utilities across the West are looking for other green options and hoping that hydropower production wont stop altogether. Releases from Glen Canyon Dam can also fluctuate beyond scheduled releases when called upon to respond to unscheduled power outages or power system emergencies. These long-term projections help water managers plan for future shortages, which are increasingly likely in the Colorado River Basin, in part because of warmer temperatures brought on by global climate change. By, What We Know, And What You Can Do To Help. a greater portion of the future hydrologic and climatic uncertainty becomes known and Credit: Alex Hager. We maintain a strict editorial firewall between our funders and our journalism. 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. In addition to daily scheduled fluctuations for power generation, the instantaneous releases from Glen Canyon Dam may also fluctuate to provide 40 megawatts (MW) of system regulation. "I would be reluctant to limit it to years just since 2000, because I think there is some value in acknowledging the variability that goes on in our basin," he says. A century of river flow records combined with an additional four to five centuries of tree-ring data show that the droughts over the past two decades were not unusual; longer and more severe droughts are a regular part of the climate variability in that part of the continent. The basin states, in a response letter, expressed concern that the water level of Lake Powell would decline below critical elevations, making the dam inoperable. The modeling approach for WY 2023 will apply to 2024. The reduction of releases from Lake Powell from 7.48 maf to 7.00 maf in water year 2022 resulted in a reduced release volume of 0.480 maf that normally would have been released from Glen Canyon Dam to Lake Mead as part of the 7.48 maf annual release volume, consistent with operations under the 2007 Interim Guidelines. The sediment-filled Colorado River appeared green-brown. As of Tuesday, February 28th, 2023 where elevation was 3521.04', Copyright Summit Technologies, Inc.1999 - 2023Site Views Today: 0Page Views Today: 0, The 28 tracked reservoirs above Lake Powell are currently at 58.69% of capacity. Drop us a note at tips@coloradosun.com. The probable maximum inflow scenario reflects a wet hydrologic condition which statistically would be exceeded 10 percent of the time. Significant amounts of snowfall over the winter of 20102011 meant more water for Lake Powell, and this effect lasted into the spring of 2012. The Water Desk launched in April 2019 with support from the Walton Family Foundation. The model is based on weather conditions over a thirty-year span. The NOAA forecast center begins releasing monthly water supply forecasts for the Colorado River Basin in December. After decades of drought, the water level in Lake Powell has sunk to unimaginable lows, threatening millions of people who rely on the water supply. In the early 21st century, this modern marvel of engineering faced an ancient enemy: prolonged drought in the American Southwest. Few expected to ever see this drop in hydropower production, let alone consider what to do if Glen Canyon were to cease electricity production entirely. The release volume from Glen Canyon Dam in January was 500 kaf. Its not a hypothetical situation anymore.. 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 Reclamation will continue to carefully monitor hydrologic and operational conditions and assess the need for additional responsive actions and/or changes to operations. water-data.com LakePowell Water Database . He said the soil moisture conditions were still well below normal across western Colorado, particularly in the southwest part of the state. Gas Prices on Lake " 9`SADP zg Ab``#@ 7 3 0 :pNB/gb2D0p6Ecb :qD_q7wE42TOOSW:Oa^(-]p7y|iZ.8uq:}1y3bJ]!G ) ytRdJp2 +[|}QpEU}V'k{yeKud"xl_-x lJ!UZ`,n!\3{dcb If Glen Canyon Dam ceases to operate, we are going to have to replace that power somewhere else and it will have a bigger carbon footprint, said Bryan Hannegan, CEO of Holy Cross Energy, which buys Lake Powells hydropower to serve customers in Western Colorado. google_color_border = "FFFFFF"; 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. However, the Bureau of Reclamation's 24-month forecast that was just released at the end of last week projects Lake Mead to be at 1,041.10 feet in January 2023. The lake held just 30 percent of its capacity. Consistent with Section 6.D.1 of the Interim Guidelines, Lake Powells operations in water year 2023 are governed by the Lower Elevation Balancing Tier (LEBT) with an initial projected water year release volume of 7.00 maf. The last couple months have steadied out a little bit, Cody Moser, a senior hydrologist with NOAA forecast center, said during a recent web briefing to review the most recent report. The deep, narrow, meandering reservoir extends upstream into southern Utah. @) .=] j Bvq2 4=B4[YCO@p/e`5[ #("A3?M|Cd(Jje(B_il:.\7m=.{CZ&&q5O}NOB6jGptUEN1Dh'6dW30oLqmt1W#F/qy<5aJ5 LuQmB(JD'4z`9q#v k[ T Climate change also plays a part. Click for . The water level in Lake Powell was at a record low when rain and snow began to fall across the Colorado River Basin in October, soaking dry soils ahead of the winter season. Click below for water level and accessibity updates about the launch ramps and services near you. In the image acquired on May 1, 2004, the reservoirs northwestern branch is isolated from the main reservoir; the shallow water upstream could not crest raised areas in the lakebed. google_ad_width = 160; An acre-foot is the amount of water needed to fill one acre of land to a height of one foot. The Glen Canyon Dam annual release has initially been set to 7.00 maf, and in April 2023 Reclamation will evaluate hydrologic conditions to determine if balancing releases may be appropriate under the conditions established in the 2007 Interim Guidelines; Balancing releases will be limited (with a minimum of 7.00 maf) to protect Lake Powell from declining below elevation 3,525 feet at the end of December 2023; Balancing releases will take into account operational neutrality of the 0.480 maf that was retained in Lake Powell under the. At the beginning of the series in 1999, water levels in Lake Powell were relatively high, and the water was a clear, dark blue. Jerd Smith is editor of Fresh Water News. The probable minimum inflow scenario reflects a dry hydrologic condition which statistically would be exceeded 90 percent of the time. and last updated 5:24 PM, Sep 24, 2021. google_ad_height = 600; More by Chris Outcalt, Got a story tip? Water levels in Narrow Canyon had dropped enough to show canyon floor features not visible in earlier images. Cheap sewer pipe repairs can push toxic fumes into homes and schools heres Hard water: In these metro neighborhoods, few drink the tap water. Antelope Point Marina on Feb. 3, 2022, in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area near Page. 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 plan can be found at the following website: https://www.usbr.gov/dcp/droa.html. 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