DATA & FIGURES
The reservoir currently stands at about 22% of its capacity, or roughly 5.6m acre-feet. Lake Powell fell below that level for a few months three years ago, but those 2023 levels were recorded in the winter, when the reservoir hits its lowest ebb. Spring runoff carried the level back up to 9.6m acre-feet by June, according to data from the US Bureau of Reclamation. The lake's water level is now just 37ft above the level at which electricity-generating turbines start to fail.
THE SCENARIO
The US west's water crisis is deepening due to a combination of factors, including a warming climate, drought, and over-allocation of water resources. The Colorado River system is facing unprecedented challenges, with 40 million people relying on the river for water and hydroelectric power. The situation is complicated by the fact that the river is governed by a complex set of laws, treaties, and agreements that are struggling to keep pace with the changing climate.
DIRECT QUOTE
"What's unique this year is that there was no recovery at all. What we expect to happen is that Lake Powell will go to unprecedented low conditions some time this fall." — Jack Schmidt, Director of Utah State University's Center for Colorado River Studies
BBN INSIGHT
The Positive Side: Cities in the south-west are taking bold action to guarantee alternate water supplies for the future, with Phoenix investing in recycling effluent from sewage back into drinking water and San Diego announcing a plan to use water surplus from its desalination plant to strike a water deal with Arizona and Nevada. The Negative Side: The water crisis is forcing a rethink of 100 years of law and policy around the Colorado River, with Brad Udall, a water and climate research scientist at Colorado State University, saying 'there are too many straws in the glass' and that 'rather than having an annual fight over who gets what, let's remove some straws … One way to do that is the American way – let's buy 'em out.'