Tow Vehicle

[larry_arizona]

Just came across this. I didn't realize the lakes were that crazy low. All blame seems to be on snowfall. I would also question WHERE all the water is going. Any wasteful outflows add up over time. Sort of like the slow leak that nobody thinks is bad until you look at how much water it has put out over time.

https://www.usatoday.com/picture-gal...ir/5510020001/

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Yes low snowfall is partially to blame but I would argue that Powell and mead were never intended to handle 40 million people and the agricultural industry that is overwhelming it.

Demand clearly is outpacing supply.


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[daltong]

Just came across this. I didn't realize the lakes were that crazy low. All blame seems to be on snowfall. I would also question WHERE all the water is going. Any wasteful outflows add up over time. Sort of like the slow leak that nobody thinks is bad until you look at how much water it has put out over time.

https://www.usatoday.com/picture-gal...ir/5510020001/

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The crazy thing is, we had a crazy year of snowfall here in CO. The temp hit -25 degrees a few nights in late December/early January. The mountains got hit pretty hard.

[Zog]

Just came across this. I didn't realize the lakes were that crazy low. All blame seems to be on snowfall. I would also question WHERE all the water is going. Any wasteful outflows add up over time. Sort of like the slow leak that nobody thinks is bad until you look at how much water it has put out over time.

https://www.usatoday.com/picture-gal...ir/5510020001/

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This is all a very complicated problem that resulted from the Colorado River Compact in the 1920s that resulted in development of Hoover Dam and Glen Canyon Dam. The Colorado River states are divided into upper basin (Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico) and lower basin (Arizona, Nevada, California, Mexico) states. About half the water that was thought to come from the Colorado was allocated to the lower basin states and the other half to the upper basin, with surpluses given to the upper basin. The lower basin was basically guaranteed their share as a result of the surpluses going to the upper basin. As a result, the full lower basin share must be delivered from the upper basin each year, with Lake Powell swinging to deliver the water. It doesn't matter that the river hasn't delivered anywhere near the total allocated flow in 17 of the past 20 years, nor that the inflow this year is expected to be below the lower basin allocation, they still get what they are guaranteed under the compact. The system is working as intended and it doesn't matter how many people or how much agriculture has grown over the past nearly 100 years, the allocation remains the same.

However, recreation is the 4th (at best) priority for the lake management, meaning those of us with boats on the lake get to adjust to perpetually changing conditions every single time we go. Last year (2020) the lake level was at 3605 feet during our trip and this year it was at 3552 during our trip. The big difference between this year and last was in the marinas and boat launches. We sold out of one houseboat and bought into another across the lake in the deepest boat launch in the lake. We were notified 2 days before our trip that the launch ramp was going to close during the middle of our trip, so we would need to use the temporary launches on the other side of the lake, meaning there is no boat ramp on the lake operating without temporary provisions. Additionally, the gas dock on our marina is out of service, since the cove it sits in is now high and dry. Additionally, people used to passing through certain areas during high water at high speed have been shocked to find subsurface pinnacles with their propellers in areas they think are in the middle of the deepest water. It is a dangerous lake when you pretend to know all the subsurface features.

The current situation strongly results from a) generally low water levels dating back to the start of this drought in 2003, b) lack of spring precipitation in 2020 after a record winter snowfall, leaving weaker runoff than expected, c) no monsoonal flow in the summer of 2020, leaving soils extremely dry going into winter, d) abysmal snowpack in winter 2020/21, with snowpack at less than 80% of average in most places, and e) another poor spring for precipitation. The meager snowmelt was absorbed by the dry soils, leaving essentially 3-10% of the typical runoff into most of the reservoirs in the upper Colorado Basin. The current monsoonal flow is helping to set up improvement for next year, but until then, we are potentially looking at failure of power generation on Glen Canyon within the next 3-4 months.

[sandm]

Its all over the west. Lucky peak in boise typically starts drawdowns after labor day. Lake is 2 months ahead and all the day use docks are dry...
The reservoir fills to the top every year but this year emptied MUCH quicker.

[2in2out]

This is all a very complicated problem that resulted from the Colorado River Compact in the 1920s that resulted in development of Hoover Dam and Glen Canyon Dam. The Colorado River states are divided into upper basin (Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico) and lower basin (Arizona, Nevada, California, Mexico) states. About half the water that was thought to come from the Colorado was allocated to the lower basin states and the other half to the upper basin, with surpluses given to the upper basin. The lower basin was basically guaranteed their share as a result of the surpluses going to the upper basin. As a result, the full lower basin share must be delivered from the upper basin each year, with Lake Powell swinging to deliver the water. It doesn't matter that the river hasn't delivered anywhere near the total allocated flow in 17 of the past 20 years, nor that the inflow this year is expected to be below the lower basin allocation, they still get what they are guaranteed under the compact. The system is working as intended and it doesn't matter how many people or how much agriculture has grown over the past nearly 100 years, the allocation remains the same.

However, recreation is the 4th (at best) priority for the lake management, meaning those of us with boats on the lake get to adjust to perpetually changing conditions every single time we go. Last year (2020) the lake level was at 3605 feet during our trip and this year it was at 3552 during our trip. The big difference between this year and last was in the marinas and boat launches. We sold out of one houseboat and bought into another across the lake in the deepest boat launch in the lake. We were notified 2 days before our trip that the launch ramp was going to close during the middle of our trip, so we would need to use the temporary launches on the other side of the lake, meaning there is no boat ramp on the lake operating without temporary provisions. Additionally, the gas dock on our marina is out of service, since the cove it sits in is now high and dry. Additionally, people used to passing through certain areas during high water at high speed have been shocked to find subsurface pinnacles with their propellers in areas they think are in the middle of the deepest water. It is a dangerous lake when you pretend to know all the subsurface features.

The current situation strongly results from a) generally low water levels dating back to the start of this drought in 2003, b) lack of spring precipitation in 2020 after a record winter snowfall, leaving weaker runoff than expected, c) no monsoonal flow in the summer of 2020, leaving soils extremely dry going into winter, d) abysmal snowpack in winter 2020/21, with snowpack at less than 80% of average in most places, and e) another poor spring for precipitation. The meager snowmelt was absorbed by the dry soils, leaving essentially 3-10% of the typical runoff into most of the reservoirs in the upper Colorado Basin. The current monsoonal flow is helping to set up improvement for next year, but until then, we are potentially looking at failure of power generation on Glen Canyon within the next 3-4 months.

That is an excellent synopsis Zog, but still only brushes on the complexities in the river system management. Concurrent lawsuits are hamstringing the many different agencies involved in management of the resource.

As these large bodies of water start to dry the influences on the micro and macro climates will be difficult to predict. History shows that conditions like this can be persistent. Tree ring studies in Arizona, presence of submerged trees in glacial lakes in the sierras, and sediment studies in alkali layers correlate to a 300+ year period from ~1250 to ~1600 AD of persistent and catastrophic drought in the west absent the modern day population.

By building capacity via reservoirs, a complacent and entitled view of water as a constant has become a standard of society. The high and southern deserts were inhospitable until the canyon projects of the new deal. While engineering marvels, the truth is that they are frail and no match for nature, and the frailty only becomes visible when there is a significant economic impact. We as boaters are a small slice in the pie of that economy, and really, minimally affected, considering 1st world problems and all.


Currently boatless

[Zog]

It truly is a complicated mess. The compact has been opened a number of times to accommodate different projects (Like CAP) and Utah is trying to add additional uses with the Lake Powell pipeline. I was reading about Lake Lahontan and was surprised to see that there has been little difference in rainfall between then and now, but the evapotranspiration rate has increased markedly due to increased temperatures and dryer airflow, preventing water from accumulating and filling the basin. To think just 13,000 years ago Lake Bonneville covered most of the Great Basin and where I sit today was under 400 feet of water.

Our reliance on reservoirs has improved reliability of water delivery immensely, but as you note has led to entitlement regarding water availability. Simply put, the Imperial Valley (and other arid areas) should not be a big agricultural area and irrigation should be used to supplement in times of drought and to enhance borderline agricultural areas, not expand agriculture to areas that are not well suited at all.

Still, these reservoirs are a miracle to those of us who float them. Unfortunately, here in Utah we are losing boat launches almost daily. The reservoir we have used the most has been closed to launches for over a month. My water purveyor is stopping irrigation water delivery about 1.5 months early in order to preserve drinking water reserves for next year. I really hope we aren't looking at a 300+ year drought!

[HFarr]

Wow! This topic has really sparked some good philosophy! And to think it all started with a truck.

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[HFarr]

By the way,not that this helps at all, but we are getting hammered with rain almost every day in Georgia. I always said their should be a huge auqaduc running East-West across the country to capitalize on transferring excess rain water and flooding to parts of the country where needed. Maybe that could be added to the new Infrastructure Bill!

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[larry_arizona]

By the way,not that this helps at all, but we are getting hammered with rain almost every day in Georgia. I always said their should be a huge auqaduc running East-West across the country to capitalize on transferring excess rain water and flooding to parts of the country where needed. Maybe that could be added to the new Infrastructure Bill!

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You know how many plans their have been to tap into the Great Lakes?


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[Zog]

You know how many plans their have been to tap into the Great Lakes?


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Add them to the plans to transfer Columbia River water to California, Mississippi River water to Colorado, etc., etc.

Considering the Lake Powell pipeline is currently projected at $2B for a pipeline not even 200 miles long (though with 5 massive pump stations), what do you think a 1500 mile long pipeline that lifts water 3,000 feet in elevation would run?