Tag: Lake Powell
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The hidden story behind Lake Powell’s low water levels reveals a canyon coming back to life
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The Colorado River Basin is often described in terms of crisis — drought, climate change and failed water‑sharing talks. Yet beneath Lake Powell’s retreating shoreline, Glen Canyon is quietly experiencing one of the largest natural restorations in the river’s history. The focus on the Colorado River has centered on the historic drought and the effects…
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With the deadline missed, Bureau of Reclamation plans to move forward on Colorado River operations
Feb. 14 was no Valentine for the seven states of the Colorado River, which failed to come up with an agreement by that deadline on how to manage the dwindling water resource beginning Oct. 1. The U.S. Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Reclamation on Saturday announced it would move forward with a…
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Federal officials to review 5 alternatives for Colorado River operations post-2026
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The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation on Wednesday announced five proposals it would review to determine the post-2026 operating guidelines that would govern the Colorado River in the decades to come. Its analysis will be published next month, keeping the process on track to be completed by 2027. December was supposed to be the month that the…
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Amid Colorado River crisis, a massive surge spells ‘bright spot’ for the Grand Canyon
For 72 hours at the end of April, people on or around Glen Canyon Dam say they could feel it shaking, hear it roaring. “Intense” and “awesome” went some descriptions. Turbines and bypass tubes blasted water at such a volume and such a rate — 39,500 cubic feet per second — that Larry Stevens observed a hurricane-sounding…
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Colorado River Basin sees ‘spectacular’ snowpack, buying time for big decisions
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save The Colorado River is one of the West’s most vital resources. But 20 years of drought have stressed the entire river basin, forcing federal officials to call for massive cuts in water use. This winter, in the water-towers of the west, storms have dropped more…
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Colorado River states face new deadline on water usage reductions
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Another deadline to establish major cutbacks in water use in the seven-state Colorado River Basin is quickly approaching, as the states continue talks, as ordered by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Last summer Reclamation Commissioner Camille Touton ordered the states to figure out how to…
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Colorado River flows will plummet this water year to 24% of normal: Bureau
LAS VEGAS • As the Colorado River crisis deepens, a new federal analysis of flows into Lake Powell shows that they will continue to plummet through 2025, before beginning to partially recover. James Prairie, a hydrologic engineer for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, said flows are likely to be just 24% of average this year, making it…
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Feds to pay farmers to use less water, reducing Colorado River strain
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Wednesday announced it will pay farmers in Arizona, Nevada and California to reduce their water use. The newly-created Lower Colorado River Basin System Conservation and Efficiency Program will pay farmers in the the lower basin states of the Colorado River system to conserve water at prices ranging from $330 per acre-foot of water…
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California takes major step to cut back on use of Colorado River water
California water providers, in a letter Wednesday to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, announced they would conserve up to 400,000 acre-feet annually of Colorado River water in Lake Mead, beginning in 2023 and continuing until 2026. “This water, which would otherwise be used by California’s communities and farms, will meaningfully contribute to stabilizing the Colorado River…
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Federal ideas reflect little progress toward solving Colorado River crisis
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The clock is ticking for the Colorado River, but solutions on how to save the river basin, which provides water to 40 million people in seven states and Mexico, still appears to be elusive, at least from the federal government. However, proposed solutions are starting to bubble up through Colorado agriculture’s community, including projects that…