An early season forecast indicates Lake Powell will get only about 81% of its normal water flow because of dry conditions around much of the Upper Colorado River Basin. Officials emphasized that forecasts this early can be inaccurate, and they represent the “most probable” conditions identified by the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center (CBRFC), part of the National Weather Service. The forecast was based on data collected up until Jan. 1. Lake Powell, the nation’s second-largest reservoir, is currently 37% full, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Water released from the lake through Glen Canyon Dam flows down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon to Lake Mead, the nation’s largest reservoir. Lake Mead is currently 34% full.

Related Colorado River articles:

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• US Bureau of Reclamation news release: Reclamation announces over $284 million for long-term conservation projects in the Lower Basin of the Colorado River