Second Largest Reservoir in US, Lake Powell Will Dry Up in a Few Decades

The scorching megadrought in Western US is causing Lake Powell to dry up quickly, and it could disappear entirely in just a few decades.

After Lake Mead, Lake Powell is the second-largest reservoir in the US by total capacity.

It is an artificial lake made by damming the Colorado River, and it straddles the Utah/Arizona border.

In comparison to both 2021 and 2020, Lake Powell's water levels are now significantly lower than they had been then.

On August 10, it was determined that the water's elevation was 3,534.51 feet above sea level.

Located 3,700 feet above sea level at full pool, Powell's water line will reach deadpool levels at 3,490 feet.

From Hydroelectric Power Supply to Deadpool

The Glen Canyon Dam surrounds Lake Powell. It uses the water that courses through it to pump electricity back into the Colorado River.

The hydroelectric turbines will stop turning if the water levels fall below the intake pipes, and the dam won't produce any electricity.

Air going through the system would harm the generators as well.

Gus Levy from the Bureau of Reclamation claimed that the Colorado River's Grand Canyon section may run dry if the lake's deadpool level, below which no water escapes the lake at all, is reached.

Tourist Destination

Lake Powell is also a well-liked vacation spot for water sports.

This industry is likely to be severely impacted by the declining water levels, as evidenced by the fact that a boat ramp that was once used to launch boats now has a 50-foot drop between the end of the track and the water.

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Few Decades Left

Due to the severe droughts affecting the Western US, experts fear that Lake Powell may eventually completely dry up.

The US Drought Monitor classifies the state borderland where Lake Powell is located as being in "Extreme Drought," which affects more than two-thirds of the entire country.

Eric Balken from the Glen Canyon Institute explained that the survival of this reservoir over the ensuing decades is extremely unlikely, according to the best climate data currently available.

According to experts, there has been a drought in the southwestern states for more than 22 years.

Climate change will only make this drought worse because rising temperatures around the world are predicted to worsen drought conditions and increase the frequency of wildfires, among a wide range of other severe weather events.

Matthew Casale, Environment Campaigns Director at non-profit advocacy group PIRG said that the ultimate change increases the frequency and severity of these extreme weather events.

Thus, it is much more probable that the region will experience more intense heat waves as a result of climate change.

Down the Colorado River lies Lake Mead, which is experiencing the lowest water levels ever.

Therefore, as Lake Mead gets closer to deadpool levels, the Hoover Dam also runs the risk of hydroelectric power production declining.

The US Bureau of Reclamation urged states reliant on the Colorado River basin to cut their water use by between 2,000,000 and 4,000,000 acre-feet over the following 18 months in an emergency request issued in June, Newsweek reported.