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Lake PowellThe second-largest man-made reservoir in the United States has lost about 7% of its potential storage capacity since 1963, when Glen Canyon Dam was built, a new report shows.
Apart from this there is damage due to water Severe multi-year droughtUS Geological Survey and Bureau of Reclamation Report receivedLake Powell experienced an average annual loss of storage capacity of about 33,270 acre-feet or 11 billion gallons per year between 1963 and 2018.
That’s enough water to fill the National Mall’s Reflecting Pool about 1,600 times.
Reservoir capacity is shrinking because of sediment runoff Colorado and San Juan Rivers, according to reports. These sediments settle at the bottom of the reservoir and reduce the total water content of the reservoir.
As of Monday, Lake Powell was about 25% full, according to data from the Bureau of Reclamation.
That’s bad news for a region already facing water shortages and extreme wildfires due to drought. Drought experts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported the situation last week At least hope continues – if not worse – next month.
Lake Powell is an important reservoir in the Colorado River Basin. Both Lake Powell and nearby Lake Mead, the nation’s largest reservoir, have been draining at alarming rates. In August, the federal government declared a water shortage on the Colorado River for the first time since Lake Mead’s water level. sunk to an unprecedented lowTriggering mandatory water cost reductions for southwestern states beginning in January
And last week, Lake Powell sink down The critical threshold at 3,525 feet above sea level raises additional concerns about water supply and hydropower generation, where millions of people in the West rely on electricity.
The significance of the declining water supply along the Colorado cannot be overstated.
The system provides water for more than 40 million people living across seven western states and Mexico. Lake Powell and Mead provide an important supply of drinking water and irrigation for many across the region, including rural farms, ranches and local communities.
“Having the best-available scientific data like this report is critical to a clear understanding of water availability in Lake Powell as we plan for the future,” Tanya Trujillo, assistant secretary for water and science at the U.S. Department of the Interior, said in a statement. “The Colorado River system faces multiple challenges, including the effects of a 22-year-long drought and the increased effects of climate change.”
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