The forecast is grim the Colorado River has endured a drought for two decades and officials project Lake Meads water levels will continue to fall, meaning that more discoveries will be unearthed. So what does that mean for the water levels at Lake Mead? The region is already in an unprecedented Tier 1 shortage on the Colorado River, which led to mandatory water cuts that mainly impacted agriculture. Since March 15, 2022, when the paper was presented to the Geological Society of America, the official water level for Lake Mead dropped from 1,067 feet to 1,041 feet in August, then increased . Which lets just call it now is highly unlikely. Lake Mead's water levels have risen slightly from 1,042.97 feet at the beginning of December, to 1,045.80 feet as of January 19. The lake is currently at 1,042 feet, but forecasts show it dropping to 1,016 at the end of. 2. By January 18, Lake Mead's water levels have risen to 1,045.76 feet. "Two, many of the current policies that govern Colorado River allocations, including the DCP and other shortage-sharing guidelines, expire in 2026, so the states and federal government are simultaneously beginning a process to develop rules for the next 20 years of Colorado River management that can help mitigate some of these issues. Projection for end of October 2022 is 1,047.47 feet. A crashed B-29 plane has been in the water since 1948. Let us know via science@newsweek.com. The current water elevation for end of March is 1,063.11 feet. Water levels in Lake Mead reached the lowest they have ever been last July, at 1,040.8 feet. "Lake Mead's water levels have been declining since 2000," Jennifer Pitt, director of the Audubon Colorado River Program, previously told Newsweek. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. Large amounts of water are required not only to refill surface reservoirs like Lake Mead, but to replenish the arid groundwater supplies. Falling lake levels could make it tricky to launch your boat at Lake Mead this summer/NPS file. Patti Aaron, a spokesperson for the Bureau of Reclamation, told CNN that this is because of several factors and last winters pitiful precipitation played a large role. ELEVATION PROJECTIONS. The bureaus next consequential report comes in August, at which point it will determine whether more cuts are needed. This Essential Guide To RVing In The National Park System presents RV enthusiasts with a rich collection of articles exploring the park system by RV, camper, or trailer that is supported by a directory packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks. The Bureau of Reclamation released the report showing the lake level will drop every month until December, when the forecast shows the lake rising from 1,037.60 feet back up to 1,039.92 feet. Aridification has led to low soil moisture and reduced runoff efficiencymeaning that even if we get big storms, less of it becomes runoff in the river. The combination of dry soils, a third La Nina and critically low reservoirs levels is a major concern.. appreciated. Lake Mead has been slowly rising now at 1,046.3 feet and is now about 5.5 feet above where it was near the end of July (1,040.6 feet). "Long periods of low rainfall not only dry up the moisture supply for plants (risking fires and large-scale tree mortality events, etc. Importantly, the Bureau of Reclamations studies are based on historical data from the 1990s a much wetter period in the West, said Eric Kuhn, a retired former manager of the Colorado River Water Conservation District. However, as of January 11, Lake Mead was still only at 28 percent of its full pool level. The recent spate of discoveries began in May when boaters spotted a barrel. Lake Mead is the largest reservoir in the U.S., formed by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River. That means less water is now flowing downstream into Lake Mead. The drought that has scorched the region containing Lake Mead has meant that the reservoir has not refilled as quickly as the water is being used. In August, Reclamation will make two model runs: One that, as the May 24-month study does, projects lake levels as they are, and one that projects lake levels as if that extra water were in Mead. "A few big winter storms aren't going to fix the Colorado River Basin's crisis. The Bureau of Reclamation's most recent projections show Lake Mead dropping to 1,033.4 feet in elevation by the end of 2023, about 14 feet lower than the reservoir's current level. The full Colorado River system supplies water to 40 million people in seven western states as well as Mexico, and irrigates more than 5 million acres of farmland from Wyoming to the Gulf of California. Echo Bay will operate on two lanes of concrete; one lane of pipe mat extension will be installed at 1,060 feet elevation. Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. Georgia: A full and fair description of the programs and financial statement summary of National Parks Traveler is available upon request at the office and phone number indicated above. In the worst-case-scenario, the. However, the section containing Lake Mead is still within the "severe drought" category. There tends to be plenty of stuff that goes to the bottom and you just wait around, Green said. As it continues, weather patterns are becoming harder to predict, meaning people are using the water faster than it can be replenished. By January 18, Lake Mead's water levels have risen to 1,045.76 feet. Officials are focused on the wrong problem, advocates say. You will find things in the lake. CH 51659), MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING 800-435-7352 OR VISITING THEIR WEBSITE WWW.FRESHFROMFLORIDA.COM. The projection for the end of July this year is 1,046 feet. Ideally well get more water and we wont find more., Yosemite crew makes big progress against explosive fire with thousands evacuated, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. Projection for end of July 2022 is 1,046.87 feet. Toggle submenu for First Annual Threatened And Endangered Parks, According to BORs March 2022 24-month forecast, water levels at Lake Mead will drop earlier-than-expected. But even that rosier prediction is8 feet lower than last month, thanks in part to another meh runoff season and recent, unprecedented actions that were taken to keep the upstream Lake Powell on life support. The most recent 5-year projections of future Colorado River system conditions were produced using the following assumptions: Additional details are available in CRMMS Ensemble Mode page. More human remains were discovered at Lake Mead, California is in a water crisis, yet usage is way up. Earlier this week, someone alerted park rangers to additional human remains, partially encased in mud, along a beach. Hemenway Harbor will operate on one lane of concrete; pipe mat extension will be installed at 1,064 feet elevation. But the rest of the lower basin is going to have to throw it in high gear, if were going to hit our target this year. A Warner Bros. 4:08 PM EDT, Mon July 18, 2022. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. The good news is that leaving extra water in Powellcould buy us about a year, or maybe more if were lucky. If thats the case, there could be a mounting discrepancy between actual lake levels and what were doing to protect them, which wont serve us well in the long run. There might actually be some archaeological relics, Green said, adding that a nearby museum has artifacts from the Puebloan people, who lived in the area about a thousand years earlier. Residents of the following states may obtain a copy of our financial and additional information as stated below: The entire southwest is in real trouble. Its lowest predicted point is 1,023 feet a level that would still entail painful cuts for most metro Phoenix cities in September 2023. Water levels in Lake Mead reached the lowest they have ever been last July, at 1,040.8 feet. There is some opportunity for the Colorado River to pick up more inflow between Lake Powell and Lake Mead, from springs and small creeks in the Grand Canyon but drought and climate change have been reducing these flows, as well. The state saw a particularly wet monsoon season at the end of July and into August, meaning the river filled slightly. The lake's water levels have risen slightly. California snowpack provides 30% of the states water, according to the Department of Water Resources. That projection is about 12 feet higher than the 2023 end-of-year mark in the bureau's forecast from December. Pennsylvania: The official registration and financial information of National Parks Traveler may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling 800-732-0999. Tribes, cities and farmers across Arizonahave volunteered about 214,000 acre-feet this year. That . The ongoing drought in the western United States has been one of the driest stretches seen in the U.S. in the past 1,200 years. Discovery Company. Lake Mead is mainly filled by releases from an upstream reservoir called Lake Powell, which captures runoff in the Upper Colorado River Basin. Do you have a question about Lake Mead and water levels? Whatever buffer we may have had (or thought we had) at Lake Mead, it is quickly disappearing. ", (Top) Lake Mead behind Hoover Dam in 1983 when there was so much water, it spilled. Because the lake is V-shaped, and were getting into the lower part of the V, it takes less water to make more of an elevation change. So, the difference will probably be larger in lowerprojected elevations. Lake Mead, seen here on Sunday, is running well below the federal government's predicted water level. Please refer to this discussion of uncertainty for more information. Stock image of Lake Mead in 2021. On Twitter: @joannaallhands. These lake-wide averages are based on a select set of U.S. and Canadian station data as determined by the Coordinating Committee. However, due to a combination of prolonged drought over the last two decades, increasing aridification from climate change, and a set of historical laws that has promoted overuse of Colorado River water in the Lower Basin, both reservoirs are at their lowest levels since being constructed.". Discovery Company. The U.S. Drought Monitor has changed Nevada's status 0 percent in an exceptional drought, due to the rainfall. Notably, exceptional drought the worst designation expanded in California from nearly zero coverage to 11% of the state. Colorado River System Projections Overview, probabilistic results for the 2-year period, 2022 Glen Canyon Dam operational adjustment, Equalization Tier (Powell >= Equalization [EQ] Elevation), Upper Elevation Balancing Tier (Powell < EQ Elevation and >= 3,575 ft), Upper Elevation Balancing - annual release > 8.23 maf, Upper Elevation Balancing - annual release = 8.23 maf, Upper Elevation Balancing - annual release < 8.23 maf, Mid-Elevation Release Tier (Powell < 3,575 and >= 3,525 ft), Mid-Elevation Release - annual release = 8.23 maf, Mid-Elevation Release - annual release = 7.48 maf, Lower Elevation Balancing Tier (Powell < 3,525 ft), Lower Elevation Balancing - annual release > 8.23 maf, Lower Elevation Balancing - annual release < 8.23 maf, Surplus Condition - any amount (Mead >= 1,145 ft), Normal Year or ICS Surplus Condition (Mead < 1,145 and > 1,075 ft), Recovery of DCP ICS / Mexicos Water Savings (Mead >/>= 1,110 ft), DCP Contribution / Mexicos Water Savings (Mead <= 1,090 and > 1,075 ft), Shortage Condition - any amount (Mead <= 1,075 ft), Shortage / Reduction - 1st Level (Mead <= 1,075 and >= 1,050 ft), DCP Contribution / Mexicos Water Savings (Mead <= 1,075 and >= 1,050 ft), Shortage / Reduction - 2nd Level (Mead < 1,050 and >= 1,025 ft), DCP Contribution / Mexicos Water Savings (Mead < 1,050 and > 1,045 ft), DCP Contribution / Mexicos Water Savings (Mead <= 1,045 and > 1,040 ft), DCP Contribution / Mexicos Water Savings (Mead <= 1,040 and > 1,035 ft), DCP Contribution / Mexicos Water Savings (Mead <= 1,035 and > 1,030 ft), DCP Contribution / Mexicos Water Savings (Mead <= 1,030 and >=/> 1,025 ft), Shortage / Reduction - 3rd Level (Mead < 1,025 ft), DCP Contribution / Mexicos Water Savings (Mead