What's the weather forecast for 2050? hbbd``b`$WX)! She can be reached at 720-398-6474, via email atjerd@wateredco.orgor @jerd_smith. The bureau also announced it would release an additional 500,000 acre-feet of water from Flaming Gorge reservoir in Wyoming to further raise the water level at Powell. For five years after 2012, snow- and rainfall totals were generally low, as the region suffered through a persistent, long-term drought. To view the most current reservoir elevation projections, click on: Lake Powell Elevation Projections. "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. (Due to the angle of sunlight, this image may cause an optical illusion known as relief inversion.). Click below for water level and accessibity updates about the launch ramps and services near you. inflow forecast for water year 2022 by approximately 2.2 million acre-feet from . google_ad_height = 600; google_ad_client = "pub-0146338466817273"; Lake Powell is now at a historic low. 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 As the forecast season progresses, The annual release volume from Lake Powell during water year 2023 will be 7.77 maf under the Lower Elevation Balancing Tier and will balance the contents between Powell and Mead with annual release volumes from Glen Canyon Dam between 7.00 maf and 9.50 maf as determined under Section 6.D.1 and 7.D of the Interim Guidelines as determined by the Department of the Interior as described above. endstream endobj startxref That reference period is updated once a decade; it now begins in the 1990s. google_ad_type = "text_image"; and last updated 5:24 PM, Sep 24, 2021. Though the 2022 forecast isnt expected to be finalized until later this month, water officials expect that more water will have to be released from Upper Basin storage reservoirs this summer because inflows into the lake from the drought-stressed Colorado River are expected to be well below average again, in the 60% to 80% range. 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. Feet above sea level Change - Feet difference over previous . Were going to be generating less than we have in quite some time. monthly forecasts become more accurate. The forecast is changing daily and there are still a lot of variables, said Lisa Meiman, a spokeswoman for WAPA. 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. Level 3 Shortage Condition 1,025 ft and below Elevation 1,090 ft Elevation 1,045 ft Historical Future For additional information, the news release can be found here: https://www.usbr.gov/newsroom/news-release/4294. The modeling approach for WY 2023 will apply to 2024. To view the most current monthly release projections, click on: Lake Powell Release Projections. Lake Powell is currently 390.33 feet deep at the dam. 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. Hydrologists recently updated the model that forecasts the level of Lake Powell. Gas Prices on Lake 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. Upper Colorado Region Water Operations: Current Status: Lake Powell, Spring Snow Brings Moisture to Colorado Front Range, NASA Goddard Space google_color_text = "000000"; According to the Bureau of Reclamation's website (on March 22, 2022), Lake Credit: Alex Hager. Note that projections of elevation and storage for water year 2023 have significant uncertainty at this point in the season. Since the beginning of water year 2000, total Colorado Basin storage has experienced year to year increases and decreases in response to wet and dry hydrology, ranging from a high of 94 percent of capacity at the beginning of 2000 to the now current level of 33 percent of capacity at the beginning of water year 2023. Lake Powell has several launch ramps along its 186-mile length. The sediment-filled Colorado River appeared green-brown. 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. From there, a swing to the northeast delivers boats into Lake Powell's main artery. Lake Powell Water Level including historical chart. 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 latter half of the decade, the drought eased somewhat. Along its route, the river passes through an elaborate water-management system designed to tame the yearly floods from spring snowmelt and to provide a reliable supply of water for residents as far away as California. The Colorado River cuts through dry land that was once covered by Lake Powell on September 7, 2022, near Hite, Utah. water-data.com Lake Powell Water Database. Additionally, there are possible inflow scenarios that would result in reservoir elevations falling outside the ranges indicated in these reports. As of Wednesday, the water level was 3,524.22 feet. System emergencies occur fairly infrequently and typically require small responses from Glen Canyon Dam. google_color_link = "0000FF"; SW Water Vapor, Accessibility of Launch Ramps, Primitive Launches and Other Sites n$L{Z. The release volume from Glen Canyon Dam in January was 500 kaf. Lake Powell
