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

Step one is releasing extra water from upstream on the Colorado River this yr. The second is water might be held again in Lake Powell itself, as an alternative of being sent to downstream states.

The US Bureau of Reclamation expects the twin actions will enhance 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 keeping with the bureau, although its full capacity is around 25 million acre-feet.

Without the emergency steps, the bureau estimated there was a couple of 25% probability the Glen Canyon Dam might have stopped producing hydropower by January. The dam generates energy for as many as 5.8 million houses and businesses in seven states.

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

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

"We now have by no means taken this step earlier than, however the potential threat on the horizon calls for prompt motion," Assistant Secretary of Water and Science, Tanya Trujillo informed reporters. "We need to work collectively to stabilize the reservoir before we face a larger disaster."

Lake Powell has dropped round 100 ft in the final three years because the West has been besieged by drought. Because the water level has fallen, Glen Canyon Dam has lost about 16% of its capacity to generate power.

Bryan Hill, basic manager of the general public power utility in Web page, Arizona, likened the state of affairs to judgment day.

"We're knocking on the door of judgment day," Hill previously advised CNN. "Judgment day being when we don't have any water to offer anyone."

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

Water cuts for those who depend on Lake Mead started in January, and Tuesday's resolution might lead to further restrictions.

Lake Mead's water degree is now low sufficient to expose one of many reservoir's authentic, 1971 water intake valves for the primary time. The valve can no longer draw water, in keeping with the Southern Nevada Water Authority, the agency accountable for managing water sources for two.2 million folks in southern Nevada, including Las Vegas.

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

"The lake has drained dramatically over the past 15 years," mentioned Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Homicide Lieutenant Ray Spencer. "It's seemingly that we are going to find extra our bodies which have been dumped in Lake Mead" as the water degree drops extra.