Lake Powell reaches record low water level amid drought

Lake Powell, the United States' second-largest reservoir, recorded a pool elevation of 3,519.91 feet on Saturday, marginally below its previous low of 3,519.92 feet set in April 2023. Federal water officials noted that the figure is provisional and could be revised, but the downward trend suggests the lake is approaching its lowest level on record.

The decline follows a similar record low at Lake Mead less than two weeks earlier, leaving the combined storage of the two reservoirs at its lowest point since 1957, before Lake Powell existed. >"If you add the two of these reservoirs together, the last time the joint contents were this low was in 1957, before there even was a Lake Powell. These are truly unprecedented," said Jack Schmidt, senior research scientist and director of the Center for Colorado River Studies at Utah State University.

Lake Powell and Lake Mead supply most of the Colorado River water used for municipal, agricultural, and tribal needs in the Southwest, generate hydroelectric power, and help regulate downstream flows during droughts. Sharon Megdal, director of the Water Resources Research Center at the University of Arizona, described the situation as a "natural disaster" and likened the river system to a savings account depleted by low inflows and high withdrawals.

Both experts said a single El Niño winter will not be enough to restore the reservoirs. >"It will take multiple years of good winters in terms of precipitation and snowmelt. We had a very good year in 2023. It would take multiple years, like 2023, to start filling the reservoir system, so one year won't do it," Megdal explained. Schmidt added that climate-related factors such as warmer springs, drier soils, and increased snow sublimation reduce runoff, weakening the link between El Niño events and snowpack.

Current water-use cuts have primarily affected agriculture, which consumes about 70 % of Colorado River water, while municipal users have largely maintained supplies through conservation measures. >"Fifty-five percent of all the water used in the Colorado River Basin is used to produce livestock feed, growing alfalfa and grass hay," Schmidt said. He warned that summer production of water-intensive crops may need to be reduced, though winter vegetables could continue with supplemental water.

The Bureau of Reclamation is expected to release a detailed plan for water allocations later this year after states failed to reach a new agreement. Officials emphasized the need for additional demand-side curtailments and alternative water sources to avoid deeper crises.

"What we should be doing that we're not already doing is really looking at what curtailments or what cutbacks on the (water) demand side we can do, how quickly we can do them and what are the opportunities to substitute other water supplies," Megdal said. Schmidt expressed cautious optimism, noting that while the adjustments will be painful, solutions are possible.