glen canyon dam
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Credit: Ilse Orsel/Unsplash
Damaging discovery at Lake Powell's dam may affect Western water distribution
As water levels at Lake Powell plummet to alarming lows, the Glen Canyon Dam faces significant infrastructure challenges, prompting urgent calls from conservation groups for innovative water management strategies.
In short:
- Damage to the "river outlet works" at Glen Canyon Dam, which are crucial for water flow when levels are low, was recently uncovered.
- This discovery could hinder the regular use of these outlet tubes, potentially affecting water delivery to the Colorado River.
- Concerns are growing over the potential for invasive fish species to threaten native fish populations due to the compromised water flow.
Key quote:
"I think it's really important for people to recognize how much of a threat this is to our water delivery system."
— Eric Balken, executive director of the Glen Canyon Institute
Why this matters:
Lake Powell serves as a vital source of electricity through the Glen Canyon Dam, providing power to millions of homes and businesses. However, dwindling water levels are diminishing the dam's capacity to generate electricity, potentially leading to energy shortages and increased reliance on alternative, often less sustainable, sources.
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Photo by Rainer Krienke on Unsplash
‘It’s maybe a year’s worth of breathing room’: Lake Powell is rising - for now
A large snowpack is quickly melting into the critical Colorado River reservoir, but experts say it will do little to reverse the effects of a historic megadrought.
Don Barrett/Flickr
DRIED UP: Lakes Mead and Powell are at the epicenter of the biggest Western drought in history
Nowhere is the Southwest’s worst drought since the year 800 more evident than Lake Powell and Lake Mead, the pair of artificial Colorado River reservoirs whose plunging levels threaten major water and power sources for tens of millions of people.
What happens if Glen Canyon Dam's power shuts off?
Lake Powell is drying behind one of the Southwest’s largest hydropower plants.
The Colorado River is in crisis and it's getting worse every day
The Washington Post traveled along the river, from its start to its finish, to examine how people and places are coping with a shrinking lifeline in a hotter and drier landscape.
Top Story
Simon Morris/ Flickr
West’s megadrought delivers another blow: Saving Glen Canyon Dam
Another historic first is playing out in the Colorado River Basin as the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announces that for the first time, it is changing operations at Lake Powell’s Glen Canyon Dam.
Top Story
In drought-stricken West, officials weigh emergency actions
Federal officials say it may be necessary to reduce water deliveries to Colorado River users to prevent the shutdown of a huge dam on the Arizona-Utah border.
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