Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities


** Lake Powell drops to historic low, threatening hydropower generation
------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, February 21, 2023
Water level at Glen Canyon Dam in August, 2021. Photo: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Flickr ([link removed])

The news keeps getting worse for Lake Powell ([link removed]) , the nation's second largest reservoir, which is currently just 22 percent full ([link removed]) . Bureau of Reclamation officials shared during a virtual meeting on Saturday that the reservoir is just 32 feet away from dropping to “minimum power pool,” ([link removed]) the point at which Glen Canyon Dam would no longer be able to generate hydropower for 4.5 million people living in the Southwest ([link removed]) .

“There is now an acknowledgment, unlike any other time ever before, that the dam is not going to be suited to 21st century hydrology,” said ([link removed]) Kyle Roerink, executive director of the environmental group Great Basin Water Network, who listened to the virtual meeting. “They’re not sugarcoating that things have to change there, and they have to change pretty quickly.”

Federal officials warn ([link removed]) that if the water level in Lake Powell drops below minimum power pool, the main intakes would need to be shut down and water would instead flow through Glen Canyon Dam’s lower bypass tubes. Because of those tubes’ reduced capacity, less water would flow downstream, shrinking the Colorado River’s flow in the Grand Canyon and accelerating the decline of Lake Mead toward “dead pool ([link removed]) ,” the point at which water would no longer pass through Hoover Dam to Arizona, California, and Mexico.

“We're 32 feet above where problems occur. And we've had years, recently, where we've lost 50 feet or more of reservoir volume,” said Brad Udall, a water and climate scientist at Colorado State University and a Colorado River expert ([link removed]) . “We're one bad year away from reaching the point where we can't generate hydropower. That's the first worry here.” Hear more from Brad Udall about the crisis on the Colorado River in the latest episode of The Landscape ([link removed]) , CWP's podcast.
Quick hits


** Public lands pay the price while grazing fees stay low
------------------------------------------------------------

KUNR Public Media ([link removed])


** Lake Powell drops to historic low, threatening hydropower generation
------------------------------------------------------------

Los Angeles Times ([link removed]) | Washington Post ([link removed]) | USA Today ([link removed])


** Colorado lawmakers call on Biden to protect more land with executive action
------------------------------------------------------------

Colorado Newsline ([link removed])


** Forest Service plans to kill New Mexico feral cattle
------------------------------------------------------------

Albuquerque Journal ([link removed]) | CBS News ([link removed])


** Rapidly shrinking Great Salt Lake is an air pollution nightmare
------------------------------------------------------------

The Guardian ([link removed])


** Activist group spreads misinformation to stop solar projects
------------------------------------------------------------

NPR ([link removed])


** BLM advances plan for New Mexico to Arizona wind power line
------------------------------------------------------------

E&E News ([link removed])


** Camera spots "chunky" bobcat in California forest
------------------------------------------------------------

Sacramento Bee ([link removed])
Quote of the day
” Ultimately, I think what we’re going to see here is some major rewriting of Western water law. We’re seeing a collision right now between 19th century water law, 20th century infrastructure and 21st century population and climate change. And how this works out is anybody’s guess.”
—Brad Udall, water and climate scientist at Colorado State University, Washington Post ([link removed])
Picture this


** @Interior ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
You don't take a photograph, you make it." — Ansel Adams. Born on this day in 1902, pioneering photographer Ansel Adams’ work continues to serve as tremendous inspiration.

============================================================
** Twitter ([link removed])
** Facebook ([link removed])
** Medium ([link removed])
** Instagram ([link removed])
Copyright © 2023 Center for Western Priorities, All rights reserved.
You've signed up to receive Look West updates.

Center for Western Priorities
1999 Broadway
Suite 520
Denver, CO 80202
USA
** View this on the web ([link removed])

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can ** update your preferences ([link removed])
or ** unsubscribe from this list ([link removed])