The Colorado River Authority of Utah announced on Thursday that plans to protect Lake Powell rely on releasing water from Flaming Gorge Reservoir. “The water level at Lake Powell has dropped much more rapidly than our models anticipated and has made it necessary for us to take expedited measures to address the situation,” said Gene Shawcroft, Chair of the Colorado River Authority of Utah and Utah’s River Commissioner. “Fortunately, our sister states in the Upper Colorado River basin and the Bureau of Reclamation have recognized the severity of the situation and we were able to form a plan for the next 12-month period that is in everyone’s best interest.” The action is part of the Drought Contingency Plan passed in Congress and signed into law by President Trump in 2019 to avoid dangerously low Lake Powell water levels. The plan authorizes the release of 500,000 acre-feet from Flaming Gorge Dam to begin around May 1st and to run through April 30th of 2023. Lake Powell’s elevation is nearing 3,500 feet and a drop to 3,490 feet will allow air into turbines that would affect the generation of hydroelectric power, thus prompting the announced measures now being taken.
