Lake Powell fell below 3,525 feet for the first time ever last month, a level that concerned worried water managers. Federal data shows it will dip even further
Federal officials say it may be necessary to reduce water deliveries to users on the Colorado River to prevent the shutdown of a huge dam that supplies hydropower to some 5 million customers across the U.S. West.
Federal officials say it may be necessary to reduce water deliveries to Colorado River users to prevent the shutdown of a huge dam on the Arizona-Utah border.
Federal water managers are scheduled to host a virtual meeting to share their annual operating plan for the Rio Grande, one of North America's longest rivers. Irrigation districts from the Pacific Northwest to the Colorado River Basin already are warning farmers to expect less this year despite growing demands fueled by ever-drying conditions.
Officials had hoped snowmelt would buoy Lake Powell on the Arizona-Utah border. But snow is already melting, and hotter-than-normal temperatures and prolonged drought are further shrinking the lake.