Meager snowpack and runoff compound Colorado River’s water crisis
Many of California’s reservoirs have filled nearly to capacity this year with runoff from the ample snowpack in the Sierra Nevada. But the situation is very different along the Colorado River, another vital water source for Southern California, where a very dry spring has shrunk the amount of runoff streaming into reservoirs. The latest forecast from the federal Colorado Basin River Forecast Center shows that the river’s flows into Lake Powell will probably be about 46% of average over the next three months. … The snowpack in the upper Colorado River Basin reached 89% of the median level on April 1, but the outlook worsened over the last two months because of persistent dryness, warm temperatures and dry soils in the mountains that have absorbed a portion of the runoff. … The water level of Lake Powell, on the Utah-Arizona border, sits at 33% of capacity. Downstream near Las Vegas, Lake Mead is 32% full.
Other Colorado River Basin news:
- U.S. Department of the Interior: News release: Department of the Interior leads $50 million effort to strengthen sustainability in the Colorado River Basin
- Maven’s Notebook: Blog: From crisis to collaboration: The past and future of Colorado River management
- KUNC (Greeley, Colo.): When flows are low, river recreators seek out new allies and avoid making enemies
