… It took nearly twenty years for Lake Powell to fill to 3,700 feet in elevation. It only stayed near that level for two decades before climate change-induced drought and overuse started shrinking the flows of the Colorado, San Juan and other rivers that feed the reservoir. Now Lake Powell teeters on the brink of collapse: Forecasts show it could drop to its lowest level since filling and reach elevations at which Glen Canyon Dam was not designed to operate. That could threaten Reclamation’s ability to safely and reliably send water downstream to major cities and agricultural regions in Arizona, California, Nevada and Mexico. But environmental groups and scientists have found a silver lining to the Southwest’s water crisis: As Lake Powell recedes, the once-drowned Glen Canyon is surfacing and thriving ecosystems are emerging.

Other Colorado River management news:

• Governing magazine: When the river runs dry
• Las Vegas Review-Journal: Opinion: Robbing Mead to pay Powell
• Cowboy State Daily (Cheyenne, Wyo.): Opinion: Our crown jewel Flaming Gorge to be drained by one-third this year
• Coyote Gulch: Blog: The 85-year history of the Colorado River Aqueduct