Tag: Lake Powell
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Reclamation: Upper Basin reservoirs insufficient to save Lake Powell
Flaming Gorge Reservoir, which Bureau of Reclamation officials have used twice during the past two years to add water to the rapidly deteriorating Colorado River system, likely has only enough water left for two more emergency releases, according reclamation officials. Last summer, the Bureau of Reclamation ordered the release of 125,000 acre-feet of water from…
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Ignored for decades, Colorado River tribes fight for their water rights
Some 10,000 households on the vast Navajo Nation, which covers 27,000 square miles in three states, are still without running water. Native American tribes hold some of the most senior water rights in the Colorado River Basin, but history has shown that having senior water rights and having water are two different realities. The tribes,…
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With the feds ‘light’ on steps, Colorado’s water experts explore challenges, opportunities
Several of Colorado’s water experts on Thursday noted that the federal government’s plan for tackling dwindling Colorado River reservoirs is “light” on the next steps but that the river’s condition also offers opportunities to boost resiliency among Western states. “It’s a dismaying time, but one full of opportunity,” said attorney James Eklund of Sherman &…
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Why California was spared and Arizona wasn’t: A brief history of Colorado River agreements
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Tuesday’s announcement by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation that it would require Arizona and Nevada to reduce their annual allocation of water from the Colorado River came as no surprise to most water experts. The reductions announced by Reclamation Commissioner Camille Touton have been part…
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Monsoon moisture takes a little out of the drought, water watchers say
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save The early arrival of summer monsoons in late June has been a welcome sight for a parched state, but the rains have not been enough to put an end to the drought. Colorado water watchers from federal and state agencies and local water providers, known…
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Federal government’s ‘underwhelming’ plan for the Colorado River falls short of goal
For 62 days, the seven states of the Colorado River faced a mandate to come up with a plan to conserve 2 to 4 million acre-feet of water by 2023. Failing to do so, Commissioner Camille Touton of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation warned, would mean the federal government exercising its authority to come up with…
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Arizona, Nevada to see Colorado River cuts under federal plan; California unscathed
Update 4 Tanya Trujillo, assistant secretary for water and science at Interior, added in both the lower and upper basins, the Bureau of Reclamation will look at physical modifications to Hoover and Glen Canyon dams to see if there is a way to allow water to be released below either critically low levels at Glen Canyon…
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Feds to announce plans for Colorado River conservation
Recognizing a seven-state plan to conserve up to 4 million acre-feet of water on the Colorado River is not forthcoming, the Department of the Interior on Monday indicated it’s set to announce water conservation plans of its own. The announcement said senior officials from the department would in a Tuesday virtual press conference address current…
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Drought threatens Colorado River hydropower, major source of renewable energy
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Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Drought on the Colorado River is threatening the ability of major dams, including Glen Canyon Dam at Page, Ariz., to produce hydropower, which comprises 54% of renewable energy production in the Southwest. The low levels on Lake Powell have also had a negative impact on…
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Tipping Point: Lake Powell reaches record lows amid drought
Drought on the Colorado River is threatening the ability of major dams, including Glen Canyon Dam at Page, Ariz., to produce hydropower, which comprises 54% of renewable energy production in the Southwest. The low levels on Lake Powell have also had a negative impact on recreation, complicating boat access. (Video by Skyler Ballard)