An enormous quantity of water is being launched from Lake Powell in an experiment to assist increase Lake Mead’s water ranges.
The Excessive Circulation Experiment (HFE) will see as much as 39,500 cubic ft per second of water being launched from the Glen Canyon Dam over a three-day interval, between April 24 and 27, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation mentioned in a press release. That’s much more water than regular.
Lake Powell is shaped by the Glen Canyon Dam, which lies in Northern Arizona, close to the border with Utah.
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From there, the water will stream by means of the Grand Canyon and replenish sandbars and seashores. This will even assist to maneuver sediment downriver, all the best way all the way down to Lake Mead, which lies on the border between Nevada and Arizona.
In a press release, the Bureau mentioned that there have been “favorable hydrology circumstances” to help the experiment.
The southwestern U.S., which has been gripped by a extreme drought for many years, has obtained a uncommon inflow of rain and snowfall over the previous few months. This has meant that there’s a excessive quantity of snowpack flowing from the mountains, which is sweet for reservoirs, however it should solely present a short-term answer to the drought-stricken space.
Lake Powell and Lake Mead have been in bother lately as their water ranges have been declining quickly amid the dry circumstances.
The 2 Colorado River reservoirs do not simply present water to hundreds of thousands residing within the basin states, however the reservoirs produce hydropower by means of Glen Canyon and Hoover Dams.
Lake Mead has seen extraordinarily low water ranges over the previous 12 months. In July final 12 months, the lake reached the bottom level it had ever been, at 1,040 ft. The water ranges have risen barely since then, but it surely nonetheless stays at solely 30 p.c of its regular capability.
Tom Corringham, a analysis economist on the Scripps Establishment of Oceanography at UC San Diego, beforehand instructed Newsweek: “Statewide snowpack in Colorado is about 120 p.c of regular this 12 months, which is an efficient factor, however refilling Lake Mead and Lake Powell will take years of above-average snowfall. We’re undoubtedly hoping for a run of excellent years, however the long-term outlook isn’t good. On the premise of local weather fashions, researchers have been predicting this catastrophe for many years. What’s scary is that it is all occurring quicker than we anticipated.”
The concern amongst consultants is that this reservoir—which 25 million individuals depend on for water—may dry up even additional, and ultimately attain useless pool stage. If water stops flowing previous the dam, it might imply hydropower features would now not function.
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has initiated efforts, resembling this HFE, to replenish the reservoir.
It is not the primary time the Bureau has carried out an HFE. The division has been doing them often since 1996. They’re solely undertaken when there may be sufficient water to launch.
Lake Powell hasn’t been full since summer season 1983. Throughout this era, the Bureau launched 100,000 cubic ft per second of water to decrease water ranges to replenish different canyons.
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