Environment

Lake Powell levels drop below historic threshold

Aspen Public Radio | By Halle Zander

Published March 17, 2022 at 5:27 PM MDT

The main boat ramp at Wahweap Marina is unusable due to low water levels in Lake Powell in December. The lake reached an even lower, historic level this week, allowing water managers in the Upper Basin to implement a new water-conservation plan.

Lake Powell reached a historically low level this week. The water level at the Glen Canyon Dam is now below 3,525 feet in elevation, just 35 feet above the intake tunnels that deliver water to the turbines that produce hydropower for customers across the Southwest.

Last summer, the federal government mandated water managers in the Upper Basin to release water from certain reservoirs so it could flow into Lake Powell.

Regional water managers will release a plan next month to address the low water levels and to try to prevent federal intervention moving forward.

Reporter Halle Zander sat down with Heather Sackett, who covers water issues for Aspen Journalism, to discuss the details and consequences of the problem.

A rendering of Glen Canyon Dam that depicts water from Lake Powell tunneling into turbines that produce hydropower. If the water level dips below 3,490 feet, the dam cannot produce hydropower. — This rendering of Glen Canyon Dam depicts water from Lake Powell tunneling into turbines that produce hydropower. If the water level dips below 3,490 feet, the dam cannot produce hydropower.