“Our marina is gone!” Lake Powell surges but drawdowns continue at Flaming Gorge
October was a banner month for Lake Powell, a key Colorado River reservoir straddling the Utah-Arizona state line, as rainstorms sent billions of gallons into the pool behind Glen Canyon Dam. What that means for ongoing drawdowns from Flaming Gorge Reservoir on the Wyoming-Utah border is uncertain. Between Oct. 21 and Oct. 28, the reservoir’s contents increased by 537,540 acre-feet, or roughly 175 billion gallons, raising its level by nine to 10 feet, according to reservoir data. The surge was primarily driven by flooding along the San Juan River in the Four Corners region. All told, Lake Powell gained about 600,000 acre-feet from its September low through late October. Coincidentally, 600,000-acre feet is roughly the amount released from Flaming Gorge over the past few months to make up for Lake Powell shortfalls.
Other Colorado River management news:
- KTAR (Phoenix): Arizona’s wet fall buys time for largest Colorado River reservoirs
- Las Vegas Review-Journal: Fines for watering ‘nonfunctional’ grass in Las Vegas could be pushed back to 2028
- Big Pivots: Blog: How this Colorado River disaster can be averted
