Lake Powell officials take emergency steps to protect hydropower from Glen Canyon Dam

The first step is releasing more water from upstream on the Colorado River this yr. The second is water might be held again in Lake Powell itself, as a substitute of being sent to downstream states.

The US Bureau of Reclamation expects the twin actions will increase Lake Powell by practically 1 million acre-feet of water. The reservoir contained about 5.8 million acre-feet of water as of Tuesday, in accordance with the bureau, though its full capacity is round 25 million acre-feet.

With out the emergency steps, the bureau estimated there was a couple of 25% chance the Glen Canyon Dam could have stopped producing hydropower by January. The dam generates power for as many as 5.8 million homes and companies in seven states.

The agency stated in a statement Tuesday's decision was supposed to guard "hydropower generation, the facility's key infrastructure, and the water supply for town of Web page, Arizona, and the LeChee Chapter of the Navajo Nation."

The emergency actions will buy the federal government 12 months because it considers longer-term measures.

"We've never taken this step earlier than, however the potential danger on the horizon demands immediate action," Assistant Secretary of Water and Science, Tanya Trujillo instructed reporters. "We have to work together to stabilize the reservoir before we face a bigger disaster."

Lake Powell has dropped around 100 feet in the final three years because the West has been besieged by drought. Because the water stage has fallen, Glen Canyon Dam has misplaced about 16% of its capacity to generate energy.

Bryan Hill, general supervisor of the public power utility in Page, Arizona, likened the scenario to judgment day.

"We're knocking on the door of judgment day," Hill previously told CNN. "Judgment day being when we have no water to offer anybody."

The selections made for Lake Powell additionally have an effect on its downstream neighbor, Lake Mead, which is the most important reservoir in the nation.

Water cuts for individuals who rely on Lake Mead started in January, and Tuesday's choice might result in additional restrictions.

Lake Mead's water level is now low enough to expose one of many reservoir's unique, 1971 water intake valves for the first time. The valve can no longer draw water, in accordance with the Southern Nevada Water Authority, the agency accountable for managing water resources for two.2 million people in southern Nevada, together with Las Vegas.

Officials over the weekend made another disturbing discovery brought on by Lake Mead's plummeting water stage: a physique in a barrel police say is a probable murder sufferer from the Nineteen Eighties.

"The lake has drained dramatically during the last 15 years," stated Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Murder Lieutenant Ray Spencer. "It's likely that we'll discover additional our bodies that have been dumped in Lake Mead" because the water degree drops more.