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New Photos Show Lake Powell Half Full
livescience.com ^ | May 23, 2014 09:37am ET | Stephanie Pappas

Posted on 05/25/2014 9:58:25 AM PDT by ckilmer

The mud-choked Colorado River flows through the dry lakebed of northern Lake Powell in a new satellite image released yesterday (May 22).

Western drought has left this reservoir on the border of Utah and Arizona less than half full, the satellite image captured on May 13 reveals. As of May 21, the lake was at 42 percent of capacity, according to U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) data.

(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Mexico; News/Current Events; US: Arizona; US: California; US: Utah
KEYWORDS: coloradoriver; g42; lakepowell; powell
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To: Mike Darancette

The Max Water Elevation of Glen Canyon Dam is recorded as 3711ft. The article posts the present water level at 1080ft, which is about 30 ft above the min operating inlet elevation of 1050ft.

In 2010 it’s lowest level was reached at 1081.85ft. End of last year it was recorded at 1103 in Nov13, having dropped about 20 ft since the previous Feb13.

With the present draught, the recharge might not happen for another year or so. If the article quoting the present level as 1080ft, even with precipitation in the watershed measuring like last year’s, it could drop to 1060ft.

in 1983, one of the higher years, it was 1206-1225ft.


41 posted on 05/25/2014 7:02:14 PM PDT by Cvengr (Adversity in life and death is inevitable. Thru faith in Christ, stress is optional.)
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To: ckilmer

the drought has occurred WITHOUT any rise in annual average global temperatures in the last 17+ years, clearly indicative of bigger forces than CO2 at work, affecting trade winds and jet stream cycles in the atmosphere, dynamically & constantly affecting, and changing, the flow or moisture laden clouds


42 posted on 05/25/2014 7:05:08 PM PDT by Wuli
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To: george76

Nice hydrology summary.


43 posted on 05/25/2014 7:05:25 PM PDT by Cvengr (Adversity in life and death is inevitable. Thru faith in Christ, stress is optional.)
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To: Cvengr

My bust,..I posted Lake Mead datum vice Lake Powell.


44 posted on 05/25/2014 7:09:18 PM PDT by Cvengr (Adversity in life and death is inevitable. Thru faith in Christ, stress is optional.)
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To: Mike Darancette

That’s why those who critiqued the report believed the worldwide weather models weren’t accurate enough to reliably forecast continuing drought.


45 posted on 05/25/2014 7:11:42 PM PDT by Cvengr (Adversity in life and death is inevitable. Thru faith in Christ, stress is optional.)
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To: logi_cal869

http://www.usbr.gov/main/water/

Some decent historical datum here.


46 posted on 05/25/2014 7:12:59 PM PDT by Cvengr (Adversity in life and death is inevitable. Thru faith in Christ, stress is optional.)
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To: Cvengr

Lake Powell was at its present level in the late 1960s, when it was initially filling; from there it took another decade to completely fill.

That means from here it would take a decade of “normal” precipitation to refill.

But that would leave Lake Mead still half-full.

Refilling Lake Mead would take another decade (though in practice, both would be gradually filled simultaneously).

That’s assuming the precipitation patterns of the last half-century return, which is by no means a sure thing.

But, about 20 years ago in Arizona I saw a single winter storm erase the accumulated water deficit of a two-year drought. Another overall winter like 1982-1983 would help a lot.


47 posted on 05/26/2014 3:34:38 AM PDT by DuncanWaring (The Lord uses the good ones; the bad ones use the Lord.)
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To: DuncanWaring

That was one hellacious year for rainfall!


48 posted on 05/27/2014 9:49:57 AM PDT by HiJinx (Bunkerville - where the government made the Government. back down.)
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To: HiJinx

You talking about ‘82/’83? I missed that one.

Was that the year with the two 500-year storms a week apart, that flooded Sky Harbor?

I didn’t get there ‘til ‘84.


49 posted on 05/27/2014 5:42:06 PM PDT by DuncanWaring (The Lord uses the good ones; the bad ones use the Lord.)
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To: DuncanWaring

Right year. I wasn’t here, yet, either. I heard all about it when I returned Stateside in ‘88.


50 posted on 05/27/2014 10:19:03 PM PDT by HiJinx (Bunkerville - where the government made the Government. back down.)
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