Dams
Water
Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River was completed in 1963. It created Lake Powell, which ebbs and flows depending on upstream precipitation. Lately, it’s been more ebb.
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area encompasses Lake Powell and is visited by more than 2 million people per year.
Since 2000, the Colorado River Basin has been in an extended drought. During the period 2000–2018, the inflow of water into Lake Powell was above average in only 4 years. As a result, Lake Powell was at less than half capacity in January 2019.
Droughts combined with a rising population means water sustainability will only become more of a challenge. In addition, hydropower capacity at Glen Canyon Dam could be reduced. Severe droughts are a regular part of the climate variability in this region; however, droughts are expected to become more severe in the future.
Location
Oct. 29, 1963, ARGON satellite — Lake Powell, Utah and Arizona, USA
July 4, 1984, Landsat 5 (path/row 37/34) — Lake Powell, Utah and Arizona, USA
June 27, 1993, Landsat 5 (path/row 37/34) — Lake Powell, Utah and Arizona, USA
June 25, 1998, Landsat 5 (path/row 37/34) — Lake Powell, Utah and Arizona, USA
Aug. 31, 2005, Landsat 5 (path/row 37/34) — Lake Powell, Utah and Arizona, USA
Aug. 19, 2018, Landsat 8 (path/row 37/34) — Lake Powell, Utah and Arizona, USA
July 10, 2021, Landsat 8 (path/row 37/34) — Lake Powell, Utah and Arizona, USA
Lake Powell, Utah and Arizona, USA Additional Imagery & Stories
Bathtub Ring
Comparing the 1984 (high water level) and 2005 (low water level) images, there is a pale outline along many parts of the lake. When the water level dr...
Glen Canyon Dam
Glen Canyon Dam near Page, Arizona, creates Lake Powell. The 710-foot-high dam was completed on September 13, 1963, about 9 years before the first cle...
San Juan River
Farther upstream, the San Juan River flows into the Colorado River. In these narrower upstream portions of the rivers, more exposed riverbed appears i...
Water Levels
Drought combined with water withdrawals has caused a drop in the lake’s water level. The reservoir finished filling in 1980. The highest water level r...
References
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