Lake Powell officers take emergency steps to protect hydropower from Glen Canyon Dam

Step one is releasing more water from upstream on the Colorado River this yr. The second is water can be held back in Lake Powell itself, instead of being sent to downstream states.

The US Bureau of Reclamation expects the dual actions will enhance Lake Powell by nearly 1 million acre-feet of water. The reservoir contained about 5.8 million acre-feet of water as of Tuesday, in accordance with the bureau, though its full capacity is around 25 million acre-feet.

With out the emergency steps, the bureau estimated there was about a 25% chance the Glen Canyon Dam may have stopped producing hydropower by January. The dam generates energy for as many as 5.8 million houses and companies in seven states.

The company mentioned in a press release Tuesday's determination was intended to protect "hydropower era, the facility's key infrastructure, and the water supply for town of Web page, Arizona, and the LeChee Chapter of the Navajo Nation."

The emergency actions will purchase the federal authorities 12 months because it considers longer-term measures.

"We have now by no means taken this step before, however the potential risk on the horizon calls for immediate motion," Assistant Secretary of Water and Science, Tanya Trujillo told reporters. "We have to work together to stabilize the reservoir before we face a bigger disaster."

Lake Powell has dropped around 100 ft within the final three years because the West has been besieged by drought. As the water degree has fallen, Glen Canyon Dam has lost about 16% of its capacity to generate energy.

Bryan Hill, general supervisor of the public energy utility in Page, Arizona, likened the situation to judgment day.

"We're knocking on the door of judgment day," Hill previously informed CNN. "Judgment day being when we don't have any water to provide anybody."

The selections made for Lake Powell additionally affect its downstream neighbor, Lake Mead, which is the biggest reservoir within the nation.

Water cuts for those who depend on Lake Mead started in January, and Tuesday's choice could result in further restrictions.

Lake Mead's water level is now low sufficient to expose one of many reservoir's unique, 1971 water consumption valves for the first time. The valve can no longer draw water, based on the Southern Nevada Water Authority, the agency responsible for managing water assets for 2.2 million people in southern Nevada, including Las Vegas.

Officers over the weekend made another disturbing discovery introduced on by Lake Mead's plummeting water degree: a body in a barrel police say is a possible murder sufferer from the 1980s.

"The lake has drained dramatically over the last 15 years," mentioned Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Homicide Lieutenant Ray Spencer. "It's possible that we will discover further bodies which have been dumped in Lake Mead" as the water level drops more.