Lake Powell’s plunge towards ‘useless pool’ hazard threatens Arizona water provide — what it means for the US West

[ad_1] The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has issued a harrowing warning on the dangerously low water ranges in Lake Powell, which may drop beneath essential ranges as early as 2026.

Water ranges on the man-made reservoir within the southwest could method the "minimal energy pool" elevation of three,500 ft by December of subsequent yr, probably halting hydroelectric manufacturing on the Glen Canyon Dam, based on AZ Household. Minimal energy pool represents the bottom elevation at which water can nonetheless go via the generators of a dam.

Do not miss If this have been to occur, residents in seven west coast states — Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and California — may expertise potential blackouts and water shortages. Nevertheless it will get worse — as of now, Lake Powell’s water ranges sit 184 ft above what’s known as the “useless pool,” the extent at which a dam can now not launch water downstream.

Years of drought left Lake Powell dangerously low Situated alongside the Utah-Arizona border, Lake Powell serves as the first storage for the Colorado River system, supplying water to roughly 40 million folks throughout seven U.S. states. However the final 25 years have been intensely dry, with lake ranges dropping to simply 30% by August 2025.

Glen Canyon Dam’s storage was at 7,706,910 acre-feet as of July 15, 2025, based on the Bureau of Reclamation — the bottom worth noticed on that date within the final 30 years. The 2025 water yr for the Colorado River Basin is at present the sixth driest on file since 1964.

Lake Powell’s present elevation — 3,554 ft above sea degree — is simply 64 ft above the dam’s penstocks, that are used to generate hydroelectric energy. Simply 120 ft beneath the penstocks are three bypass pipes designed to assist the movement of water from the Colorado River, however the efficacy of these pipes has by no means been examined over an prolonged interval. Beneath the bypass pipes is the useless pool, which happens at round 3,370 ft above sea degree.

“If the lake degree have been to fall beneath the extent of the penstocks, you begin to have engineering considerations with the dam itself, but in addition you've water supply considerations,” Zak Podmore, creator of the ebook Life After Useless Pool, instructed AZ Household.

The Bureau of Reclamation’s 24-month examine exhibits that Lake Powell may quickly fall beneath two essential elevations:

3,525 ft by April 2026 or as quickly as January, which may set off emergency drought response actions

3,490 ft by December 2026, which might halt energy era

And whereas these numbers are regarding, some specialists consider all hope is just not misplaced.

“Lake Powell is at present at about 30% of full capability. That’s clearly fairly low, nevertheless it’s been considerably decrease than this in 2021, and we didn’t hit useless pool at the moment,” Mark Squillace, water coverage researcher and professor of pure assets legislation on the College of Colorado Legislation College, shared with KUNM.

“It’s unlikely that we’re going to see useless pool at Lake Powell.”

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What lowered hydroelectric output means for locals Within the Nineteen Nineties, excessive water ranges noticed many southwestern desert communities thrive on Colorado River water and Glen Canyon Dam hydropower, however sustaining these water ranges has been a problem within the twenty first century.

When Lake Powell is full, the dam can generate as much as 1,320 megawatts of electrical energy, which equals roughly 5 billion kilowatt-hours of energy yearly. With Lake Powell at present at 30% of full capability, the Glen Canyon Dam’s hydropower manufacturing has been reduce down considerably in recent times.

If the dam have been to cease producing electrical energy, a examine by the Glen Canyon Institute discovered that residents within the impacted areas may anticipate elevated vitality costs of round $3.53 per 30 days when adjusted for inflation, or about $42 yearly. Nevertheless, that complete doubtless understates the long-term burden on residents and overlooks the potential closure of different drought-hit dams.

Whereas there’s little residents of the southwest can do to spur on enhanced snowmelt or rainfall, there are some fundamental steps residents can take to assist offset their reliance on vitality from the Glen Canyon Dam:

Analysis alternate options, like pure gasoline, to probably cut back reliance on hydroelectric energy

Set up photo voltaic panels with battery storage in your property

Improve vitality effectivity to cut back total consumption

Assist renewable vitality insurance policies

What to learn subsequent This text offers data solely and shouldn't be construed as recommendation. It's offered with out guarantee of any form.

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