Lake Powell, a critical Colorado River reservoir, has fallen to a record low level, raising new concerns about a power source for millions in the U.S. West. Its fall to below 3,525 feet puts it at its lowest level since the lake filled after the government dammed the Colorado River over 50 years ago. The and its downstream counterpart Lake Mead both have levels dropping faster than expected. Much focus has been on dealing with water scarcity in Arizona, Nevada and California, not electricity supply.
If Lake Powell drops even more, it could soon mean water won’t fail to flow through the dam and onto Lake Mead. For Glen Canyon Dam, the new level is 35 feet above where its turbines would stop producing hydroelectric power, affecting about 5 million customers in seven states. And drought is likely to continue across more than half of the U.S. through at least June.
www.huffpost.com/entry/lake-powell-hydropower-drought_n_62321533e4b09bf179b9b0bf
www.nytimes.com/2022/03/17/climate/spring-drought-forecast-noaa.html?action=click&module=Well&pgtype=Homepage§ion=Climate%20and%20Environment