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

Step one is releasing extra water from upstream on the Colorado River this year. The second is water shall be held again in Lake Powell itself, instead of being sent to downstream states.

The US Bureau of Reclamation expects the dual actions will boost Lake Powell by almost 1 million acre-feet of water. The reservoir contained about 5.8 million acre-feet of water as of Tuesday, based on the bureau, although its full capacity is around 25 million acre-feet.

With out the emergency steps, the bureau estimated there was a couple of 25% likelihood the Glen Canyon Dam may have stopped producing hydropower by January. The dam generates energy for as many as 5.8 million homes and companies in seven states.

The company said in a press release Tuesday's determination was meant to guard "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 purchase the federal authorities 12 months because it considers longer-term measures.

"We've got never taken this step before, however the potential threat on the horizon calls for prompt action," Assistant Secretary of Water and Science, Tanya Trujillo told reporters. "We have to work collectively to stabilize the reservoir earlier than we face a bigger crisis."

Lake Powell has dropped around 100 toes within the final 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 capacity to generate energy.

Bryan Hill, normal manager of the general public power utility in Page, Arizona, likened the scenario 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 give anybody."

The decisions made for Lake Powell also affect its downstream neighbor, Lake Mead, which is the largest reservoir within the nation.

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

Lake Mead's water level is now low enough to reveal one of many reservoir's original, 1971 water consumption valves for the first time. The valve can not draw water, based on the Southern Nevada Water Authority, the company responsible 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 brought on by Lake Mead's plummeting water stage: a body in a barrel police say is a possible murder sufferer from the 1980s.

"The lake has drained dramatically over the past 15 years," stated Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Murder Lieutenant Ray Spencer. "It's likely that we'll find extra bodies which were dumped in Lake Mead" as the water degree drops extra.