Lake Mead, Lake Powell levels aren’t enough to best drought
Tracking every move of the Colorado River’s biggest reservoirs has become a routine for water managers across the West. As runoff season comes to a close, the latest hopeful sign comes from Lake Powell, the country’s second-biggest reservoir. Its water level this week was the highest it has been in more than three years — 3,586 feet. It’s a mark of two good snowpack years in a row and successful conservation efforts.That’s a positive change after the reservoir hit an all-time low in April 2022, especially in light of news that Glen Canyon Dam’s lower tubes could be damaged. Some of this success can be attributed to the 2019 Drought Contingency Plan, where Lower Basin states — Nevada, California and Arizona — voluntarily took cuts in their river water and increased conservation, said John Entsminger, general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority. … But in the larger context of what were considered average conditions between 2000 and 2020, the Colorado River Basin isn’t where it needs to be to mitigate Western drought that’s only intensified over the past two decades.
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