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

The first step is releasing extra water from upstream on the Colorado River this 12 months. The second is water shall be held back in Lake Powell itself, instead of being sent to downstream states.

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

Without the emergency steps, the bureau estimated there was a few 25% likelihood 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 mentioned in a press release Tuesday's decision was supposed to guard "hydropower era, the ability's key infrastructure, and the water supply for the town of Web page, Arizona, and the LeChee Chapter of the Navajo Nation."

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

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

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

Bryan Hill, common supervisor of the general public energy utility in Page, Arizona, likened the situation to judgment day.

"We're knocking on the door of judgment day," Hill beforehand instructed CNN. "Judgment day being when we don't have any water to present anybody."

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

Water cuts for individuals who depend on Lake Mead began in January, and Tuesday's decision could result in additional restrictions.

Lake Mead's water degree is now low enough to reveal one of many reservoir's authentic, 1971 water intake valves for the primary time. The valve can now not draw water, in response to the Southern Nevada Water Authority, the agency liable for managing water resources for two.2 million folks in southern Nevada, together with Las Vegas.

Officers over the weekend made one other disturbing discovery introduced on by Lake Mead's plummeting water level: a physique in a barrel police say is a probable homicide victim from the Nineteen Eighties.

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