Scientists Say Lake Powell Should Be Drained to Save Lake Mead

Should a popular recreational lake be drained to save a nearby body of water? One expert thinks so.

Will Lake Powell be Sacrificed to Alleviate Western Water Crisis?

A well-known scientist is proposing that Lake Powell be drained in an effort to save Lake Mead. Located along the Colorado River, Lake Powell is the second-largest water reservoir in the country. Lake Mead, along the same river, is distinguished as the largest reservoir. The Colorado River and its tributaries are responsible for supplying water to roughly 40 million people in the West. The water is also crucial in providing irrigation for millions of acres of farmland.

Earlier in the year, federal water managers at the Bureau of Reclamation ordered urgent actions to shore up Lake Powell. Zanna Stutts, program director at the Glen Canyon Institute, believes that this is just a temporary fix that amounts to "reservoir triage" rather than a long-term solution.

Stutts believes that draining Lake Powell would go a long way in addressing the water crisis. Her point is that both of the lakes are only running about a quarter full. She noted that "We have the two largest reservoirs in the country, and we can’t fill either one. What might it look like if we were to take the water that is currently stored in Lake Powell, send it downstream through the Grand Canyon, and instead store it in Lake Mead?”

Stutts is proposing that the water stored in Lake Powell could be sent downstream to Lake Mead using bypass tunnels around the base of Glen Canyon Dam. This would create a fuller flow of water through the Colorado River while also still keeping the dam in place.

Opponents of this plan say that the change would eliminate the hydropower generation produced at the dam. However, Stutts argues that the falling water levels are already reducing the capability of this facility.

The impacts of global warming have taken a toll on the water levels across both lakes and the Colorado River. The latest seasonal outlook from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting warmer-than-normal temperatures with slightly above-average precipitation levels for the interior West. While any moisture is good news, it is not likely to be enough to make a dent in the long-term drought.