The watersheds of the upper Colorado river are not in a drought- they had close to 100 percent of snowpack, and it’s still snowing. Don’t know why they’ve let so much water out, but it’s not because of a drought.
I remember when Al Gore had ordered water released so he could have a nice backdrop of water rushing by in a campaign commercial. I suspect that the water is purposely being diverted just like water to California’s Central Valley is purposely being blocked.
The Upper Colorado River Basin regularly experiences significant year to year hydrologic variability. During the 14-year period 2000 to 2013, however, the unregulated inflow to Lake Powell, which is a good measure of hydrologic conditions in the Colorado River Basin, was above average in only 3 out of the past 14 years. The period 2000-2013 is the lowest 14-year period since the closure of Glen Canyon Dam in 1963, with an average unregulated inflow of 8.25 maf, or 76% of the 30-year average (1981-2010). (For comparison, the 1981-2010 total water year average is 10.83 maf.) The unregulated inflow during the 2000-2013 period has ranged from a low of 2.64 maf (24% of average) in water year 2002 to a high of 15.97 maf (147% of average) in water year 2011. Under the current forecast, total water year 2014 unregulated inflows to Lake Powell are expected to range between a minimum probable of 9.6 maf (88% of average) and a maximum probable of 12.7 maf (118% of average) with a most probable projection of 10.83 maf (100% of average).
They've got quite a few lean years to catch-up from; it may be decades before the lake refills completely, if ever.
The volume of Colorado River water that is available for irrigation in Arizona, Nevada, California and Mexico is established by the river's flow at the Utah-Arizona state line.
When the volumes were originally set, the river's flow was much greater than it is now -- it was a relatively wet period...and the evaporation and absorption attributable to Lake Powell is enormous.
Accordingly, more water has been allocated than is actually available...
Create a chrisis.