Tag Archive for: Lake Powell

Nevada Calls on Utah and Upper Colorado Basin States to Slash Water Use by 500,000 Acre-Feet

/in , , /by /The Salt Lake Tribuneby Brian Maffly

Nevada water managers have submitted a plan for cutting diversions by 500,000 acre-feet in a last-ditch effort to shore up flows on the Colorado River before low water levels cause critical problems at Glen Canyon and Hoover dams. But the Silver State’s plan targets cuts in Utah and the river’s other Upper Basin states, not in Nevada, whose leaders contend it already is doing what it can to reduce reliance on the depleted river system that provides water to 40 million in the West.

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4 States Launch Colorado River Payout Program

/in , , /by /E&E Newsby Jennifer Yachnin

States in the Upper Colorado River Basin on Wednesday launched a $125 million program aimed at reducing reliance on the shirking waterway, although it remains to be seen how much water could actually be conserved. The Upper Colorado River Commission, which represents Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, released details on its Upper Basin System Conservation Pilot Program, which will pay users with rights to the river’s waters to temporarily forego their allocations.

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Colorado River Compact: As Colorado River Flows Drop and Tensions Rise, Water Interests Struggle to Find Solutions That All Can Accept

/in , , /by /Water Education Foundation (Western Water)by Nick Cahill

When the Colorado River Compact was signed 100 years ago, the negotiators for seven Western states bet that the river they were dividing would have ample water to meet everyone’s needs – even those not seated around the table.

A century later, it’s clear the water they bet on is not there.

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Feds Announce Plan for Massive Cuts in Colorado River Deliveries

/in , , /by /Arizona Daily Starby Tony Davis

The Bureau of Reclamation is for the first time legally signaling its intent to make major cutbacks in water deliveries from Lake Powell to Lake Mead and the Lower River Basin to protect the reservoirs that are on the edge of collapse. In online presentations last week, the bureau said it’s working through a formal process that could lead to cutting deliveries from Powell by 2 million to 3 more.

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Glen Canyon Reservoir: The Colorado River’s Descent into ‘Dead Pool’

/in , , /by /Digital Journalby Karen Graham

A long-standing drought in the American Southwest is getting worse by the day, threatening reservoirs and groundwater supplies. And the first sign of “serious damage” could be a whirlpool, according to the operators of the nation’s second-largest reservoir, Lake Powell, reports the Washington Post.

 

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Officials Fear ‘Complete Doomsday Scenario’ for Drought-Stricken Colorado River

/in , , /by /The Washington Postby Joshua Partlow

The first sign of serious trouble for the drought-stricken American Southwest could be a whirlpool. It could happen if the surface of Lake Powell, a man-made reservoir along the Colorado River that’s already a quarter of its former size, drops another 38 feet down the concrete face of the 710-foot Glen Canyon Dam here. At that point, the surface would be approaching the tops of eight underwater openings that allow river water to pass through the hydroelectric dam.

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A Century Ago, This Water Agreement Changed the West. Now, the Region is in Crisis

/in , , /by /Smithsonian Magazineby Margaret Osborne

The Colorado River has long been regarded as the “lifeline of the Southwest.” It supplies water to 40 million people in seven states, 29 Native American tribes and parts of Mexico. Farmers use it to irrigate nearly 5.5 million acres of agricultural land. One hundred years ago this month, the signing of the Colorado River Compact laid the foundation for how water from the river is used today.

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Opinion: What’s Wrong With Lake Mead, Summed Up in a Single Chart

/in , , /by /The Arizona Republicby Joanna Allhands

If there were a single chart that could sum up the problem at Lake Mead, this might be a contender. OK, maybe not. Because a single chart should be self-explanatory. This one requires some background. But it says a lot about where we’re headed. And the shifting goalposts on the way down.

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International Water Researcher Highlights Colorado Basin’s “Disappearing” Groundwater

/in , , /by /The Colorado Sunby Chris Outcalt

For the past 20 years, two small satellites orbiting 250 miles above Earth have tracked a stark reality about the nation’s groundwater supplies, including across the parched Colorado River Basin: The water underground is vanishing. The NASA satellites began gathering data in 2002. Since then, Colorado River Basin groundwater has depleted much faster than water storage in the nation’s two largest reservoirs, according to research that underscores concerns about the increasingly tight water supply in the drought-stricken West.

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Opinion: Finally, the Feds May Force Action to Save the Colorado River. What if It Comes Too Late?

/in , , , /by /The Arizona Republicby Joanna Allhands

Finally, the ball is rolling to force action on a plan to save the Colorado River. But will it come in time to make a difference? The seven states that rely on the river have been unable to voluntarily stop using enough water to keep a rapidly tanking Lake Mead and Lake Powell on life support. The feds stepped back from a threat this summer to force action if states couldn’t agree, preferring to rely on voluntary actions instead.

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