They’re also going dry.
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| [Photos of the Colorado River showing drought at the Overton Arm between 2000 and 2022.] |
In August 2021, the Bureau of Reclamation issued the first Level One Shortage Condition when Lake Mead fell below 1,075 feet (328 meters). Then, in March 2022, the Bureau reported that Lake Powell fell below the target elevation of 3,525 feet (1074 meters) for the first time since the 1960s. In 1999, Lake Powell averaged a water elevation of almost 3,681 feet (1,122 meters), and Lake Mead was almost near capacity at 1,220 feet (372 meters) near the dam.
After more than 20 years of severe drought, the Western US has officially entered a megadrought (meaning 20 or more years of below average precipitation), and Lake Powell’s water level is down almost 150 feet (46 meters). Lake Mead’s water level is down nearly 176 feet (54 meters).
Water conditions on the river depend largely on snowmelt in the basin’s northern areas of Colorado and Wyoming, and global warming will likely decrease the amount of snow that accumulates there every year.
The result is that the lives and livelyhood of millions of Americans who live in the affected areas are threatened because of a shortage of water and hydroelectric power.
Bowing to the reality of dwindling water levels, the American Congress began enacting contingency plans for when and if water levels dropped below a certain level in Lake Mead and Lake Powell.
For Lake Mead, the Drought Contingency Plan decreases water deliveries to Arizona and Nevada if the water level falls below 1,075 feet (328 meters) (pdf). For Lake Powell, the Drought Response Operations Agreement kicks in when water levels fall below 3,525 feet (1074 meters).
Despite these efforts, storage levels at both reservoirs have continued to fall, CRS reported in August 2022 (pdf). Studies indicate the ongoing possibility of Lake Mead falling significantly more and triggering additional shortages within two years.
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