Lake Powell surged more than 20 feet from its mid-September low following heavy autumn storms, primerahora.com reported.
Late October and early November storms drove torrents of water through dry arroyos across the U.S. Southwest, triggering evacuations and flooding local communities. Martin Hoerling, a climate scientist and hydrologist at the University of Colorado in Boulder, called the sudden downpours an unexpected boost from Mother Nature. The region suffered through a multi-year megasequía and record-low reservoir levels before El Niño intensified rainfall across the West.
Lake Powell levels climb past September lows
Lake Powell climbed past 6 meters above its September trough, eclipsing gains from the entire year’s snowmelt, according to Hoerling. The reservoir sat just above a quarter of its total capacity as 15 of its 17 boat ramps remained unusable, elnuevodia.com reported. Floodwaters could push the lake up to 1.2 million acre-feet, enough to supply roughly four million average families for a year.
Upper Lake Mary in northern Arizona captured over 3 billion gallons since early October, according to Flagstaff water production manager Brian Huntzinger. Huntzinger said recent storms dumped more than two years’ worth of water into the town’s surface supply.
Floods bring rare relief to US Southwest reservoirs as Lake Powell rises 20 feet https://t.co/OjlswfrEJV
It is something really, really great to see,
Huntzinger said, adding that the reservoir could overflow before winter snowfall begins.
Pagosa Springs lifts water restrictions after October storms
Pagosa Springs, Colorado, lifted water restrictions after storms dropped about 7 inches of rain in October. More than 10,000 residents and local restaurants previously faced strict conservation mandates, municipal administrator David Harris explained.
Even though the storm was destructive, I think there is a silver lining,
Harris said, pointing to early snowpack accumulation in high elevations.
In central Arizona, floodwaters rushed toward creeks feeding the Verde River. Bo Svoma, senior meteorologist for the Salt River Project, reported that authorities released water from two nearly full dams into the dry stretch of the Verde near Phoenix.
Federal water management plans
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation plans to hold off on changing water releases from Lake Powell until peak snowpack measurements arrive around April, University of Utah professor Jack Schmidt said. Reclamation spokeswoman Mary Carlson noted that conditions improved, but uncertainty remains.
Under the federal Lower Basin plan, California, Nevada, and Arizona must cut water use by 1.25 million acre-feet annually over two years. Nevada and Arizona are challenging these reductions in court, while Phoenix-area cities fund infrastructure to raise a Verde River dam and capture future storm runoff.
Floods have brought rare relief to the Southwest as Lake Powell, the second-largest reservoir in the US, rose more than 20 feet (6.1m) from its mid-September low. Powell remains just ~25% full, though. Winter snowpack will be crucial for the water supply.https://t.co/2HSHM4FvWT
How much water Lake Powell gained and city restrictions lifted
How much water did Lake Powell gain?
Lake Powell rose more than 20 feet from its mid-September low, gaining enough water to reach an estimated 1.2 million acre-feet.
Which cities lifted water restrictions?
Pagosa Springs, Colorado, lifted restrictions after receiving about 7 inches of rain in October following severe drought conditions.
What is the status of the Colorado River allocations?
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation will keep release schedules unchanged until peak snowpack is measured in April, despite ongoing legal challenges from Arizona and Nevada.
LAKE POWELL UPDATE: THE EXTRAORDINARY RISE IS SLOWING DOWN, BUT THE BIG PICTURE IS STILL INCREDIBLE. Lake Powell gained another 5 inches over the past 24 hours. That’s a noticeable slowdown from the massive daily increases we’ve seen over the past couple of weeks. But there’s a… pic.twitter.com/OARAL8FyMg