Lake Powell may never be full again

[phantom power]

I'm glad the "seven states" are starting to treat the management of these reservoirs with the seriousness they deserve. That said, this professor Schmidt strikes me as an arrogant fuck, who apparently isn't familiar with how long a real drought can last out here, historically speaking, or what's been happening to the climate out here over the last decade.

Sometimes I pray for a slap in the face
then beg to be spared, cause I'm a coward
--Nickel Creek

After six years of drought and a drop to water elevation levels not seen in decades, Lake Powell began refilling last year. And it will continue to rise this spring and summer, owing to a second consecutive year of close-to-normal snowmelt in the upper Colorado River Basin.

But for those who long for the day when Lake Powell will be replenished to the brim - about 3,700 feet - the wait could be a long one. A nearly finalized agreement between the seven Colorado River Basin states regarding future management of the river calls for the joint, coordinated operation of Lake Powell in the upper basin and its sister reservoir, Lake Mead, downstream in the lower basin. The thrust of the idea is to ensure, as much as possible, that neither reservoir suffers at the expense of the other during future dry periods.


(...)

"The seven basin states have modeled the heck out of this. With good hydrology, with a series of good water years, I think Powell will fill up again in the future," says Don Ostler of the Upper Colorado River Commission. "But the bottom line is, this deal will allow Powell to fare better during the droughts."

(...)

"The important thing that the public needs to understand is that the elevations of Lake Powell are only partially determined by nature and droughts," (Schmidt) says. "They will be determined most fundamentally by human decisions."

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_3665008

[Gormy Cuss]

1. I wish they wouldn't call these resevoirs "lakes"

as if they were a naturally occurring body of water. 'lake' Powell could disappear tomorrow if the Glen Canyon Dam was removed. If people are reminded of that fact maybe they will pay a little more attention to water needs in the West. When Powell is low, that's more than just a problem for recreational users.

[XemaSab]

2. Out here in the West

we have *no clue* what "normal" is as far as weather conditions.

Assuming, even, that such a beast exists.

[NNadir]

3. I think the Glen Canyon dam is a horror.

It may rank with the Hetch Hetchy.

Part of me knows that people demand that water, and of course the water skiing. But that dam, like Hetch Hetchy is located on what should have been sacred ground. As for the 500 MW of renewable energy, and lord knows we need renewable energy, at least in this special case just not worth the cost. Ultimately the whole Canyon will be filled to the brim with silt in any case.

The article contains the crux:

The drowning of Glen Canyon, however, has been the long lament of American wilderness advocates who say the dam was not needed for water storage and who mourn the loss of one of the most beautiful and spectacular river canyons on Earth.

The falling of the reservoir was like a giant fan dance conducted by a great beauty.

Overall, the effect on the whole river system has been an unmitigated disaster. It is hard to imagine that even desalination could be as bad as that, although I guess we have forgotten what we lost.