‘It’s maybe a year’s worth of breathing room’: Lake Powell is rising – for now
Weeks after the surface of Lake Powell sunk to an all-time low, the key Colorado River reservoir is rising more than a foot a day — on track to deepen by some 70 feet in the coming months. Spring flows into the lake are among the highest observed in its history. That could mean long-stranded boat ramps regain water access this summer. Already, the bolstered water levels allowed for recent dam releases that sent rapids surging down the Grand Canyon for the first time in five years. But whatever optimism the recent boost might create, it should not extend beyond this year, said Bart Leeflang, the Colorado River program manager for the Central Utah Water Conservancy District. Though snowpack that feeds the river is among the basin’s deepest in decades, one expert noted that it would take nearly a decade of wet years to refill Lake Powell.
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- Glenwood Post Independent: Commentary - Bottom line is, we all face using a lot less water from the Colorado River
- Colorado Sun: Scientists are using lasers to uncover the secrets of Colorado’s snowpack. So what does it mean for your water supply?