Devastating Water Loss at Lake Powell: The Colorado River Basin’s Largest Reservoir is Losing Capacity

Located in the heart of the American Southwest, Lake Powell is the second-largest human-made reservoir in the United States. However, a recent report from the US Geological Survey and the Bureau of Reclamation has revealed a startling truth: not only is Lake Powell’s water level plummeting due to an intense multiyear drought, but its total capacity is also shrinking at an alarming rate.

Source: media.cnn.com

According to the report, Lake Powell has lost nearly 7% of its potential storage capacity since 1963, when Glen Canyon Dam was built. This translates to an average annual loss in storage capacity of approximately 33,270 acre-feet, or 11 billion gallons, per year between 1963 and 2018. To put this into perspective, the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall could be filled with this amount of water around 1,600 times.

The capacity of the reservoir is dwindling due to sediments flowing in from the Colorado and San Juan rivers. These sediments settle at the bottom of the reservoir, reducing the total amount of water the reservoir can hold. As of Monday, Lake Powell was around 25% full, according to data from the Bureau of Reclamation.

The devastating news is a significant concern for a region already facing water shortages and extreme wildfires due to the drought. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) drought experts have warned that these conditions are expected to at least continue – if not worsen – in the coming months.

Lake Powell is a critical reservoir in the Colorado River Basin, which supplies water for more than 40 million people living across seven Western states and Mexico. The reservoir provides a vital supply of drinking water and irrigation for many across the region, including rural farms, ranches, and native communities.