Blue Mesa, Flaming Gorge, Navajo Begin Emergency Releases To Prop Up Powell, Now Less Than 1/3 Full
Amid predictions that the water surface at Arizona’s Lake Powell will likely encroach on levels needed to maintain power generation at its dam for the first time since it was initially filled, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has taken the first step toward addressing the problem with water from upstream reservoirs.
The bureau announced Thursday that it was increasing the amounts of water released from Flaming Gorge Reservoir, Blue Mesa Reservoir and Navajo Reservoir, starting immediately. The agency predicted last week that there was a 79 percent chance of Lake Powell’s water elevation dipping below 3,525 feet in the next year.
The agency believes the risk of damage to Glen Canyon Dam’s power-generating turbines begins at 3,490 feet. The increased water released from the upstream reservoirs is expected to increase Powell’s water level by three feet.
Ed. - Which under current conditions will stabilize water levels for about 10-14 days.
“We haven’t declared any sort of formal emergency on the Colorado River,” said Wayne Pullan, Regional Director of the bureau’s Upper Colorado River Region. “But,” he said, comparing it to sudden natural disasters like earthquakes or hurricanes, “it’s been an emergence over several years.”
EDIT
https://denver.cbslocal.com/2021/07/17/blue-mesa-reservoir-colorado-river-lake-powell-flaming-gorge-navajo-water/
= new reply since forum marked as read
Here's the Blue Mesa Reservoir from 7/16/21 at 44% of capacity and dropping 4 inches every day.
https://coloradosun.com/2021/07/19/lake-powell-drought-blue-mesa-reservoir-drained/
induced Global Climate were real.
