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

The first step is releasing more water from upstream on the Colorado River this 12 months. The second is water might be held back in Lake Powell itself, as a substitute of being despatched to downstream states.

The US Bureau of Reclamation expects the dual actions will increase Lake Powell by nearly 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% 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 businesses in seven states.

The agency mentioned in a press release Tuesday's resolution was intended to protect "hydropower generation, the facility's key infrastructure, and the water provide for the city of Web 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 never taken this step before, however the potential risk on the horizon demands immediate action," Assistant Secretary of Water and Science, Tanya Trujillo advised reporters. "We have to work together to stabilize the reservoir before we face a bigger disaster."

Lake Powell has dropped around 100 toes within the last three years because the West has been besieged by drought. As the water degree has fallen, Glen Canyon Dam has misplaced about 16% of its capability to generate power.

Bryan Hill, basic 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 choices made for Lake Powell additionally have an effect on its downstream neighbor, Lake Mead, which is the largest reservoir within the country.

Water cuts for individuals who depend on Lake Mead started in January, and Tuesday's resolution could lead to additional restrictions.

Lake Mead's water stage is now low sufficient to expose one of the reservoir's authentic, 1971 water intake valves for the first time. The valve can now not draw water, in accordance with the Southern Nevada Water Authority, the company liable 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 stage: a physique in a barrel police say is a likely homicide victim from the Nineteen Eighties.

"The lake has drained dramatically over the last 15 years," said Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Homicide Lieutenant Ray Spencer. "It's probably that we will find further our bodies which were dumped in Lake Mead" as the water stage drops more.