Federal water managers are soon expected to announce a round of water releases that would prop up Lake Powell, the nation’s second-largest reservoir. Water levels there are near record lows, and they are expected to plummet even lower after a historically dry winter. The Bureau of Reclamation, the federal agency which manages dams and reservoirs around the West, is trying to protect Glen Canyon Dam in northern Arizona. If water levels there drop much lower, it could become impossible for the dam to generate hydropower. Farther drops could make it impossible to pass water into the Colorado River on the other side. Reclamation has indicated that it will explore a release of up to 1 million acre-feet of water from reservoirs in the Rocky Mountains and send it downstream to Lake Powell.

Other Colorado River management news:

• Craig Daily Press (Colo.): Colorado River projected to deliver one-fifth of normal water to Lake Powell after ‘astonishing’ March heatwave
• Science Daily: Scientists finally know where the Colorado River’s missing water is going
• The Nevada Independent: Opinion: Spoiled suburbanites clutching at their lawns put Lake Mead in peril
• The Land Desk: Blog: Abysmal math on the Colorado River