Utah’s Lake Powell Up 20 Feet Thanks To Colorado Snow
Lake Powell is benefiting big time from the Colorado snowmelt.
Last season's record-setting snowpack ended a 20-year streak of Colorado having at least one county listed on the US Drought Monitor map. (However, Colorado currently has 6 counties with portions colored in the yellow "Abnormally Dry" designation).
The snow extended the Colorado ski season well into July. Low flowing rivers you could once wade across became raging torrents that made for some dangerous, and at times deadly, rafting and floating conditions.
Add refilling Utah's Lake Powell to the list. There are nearly two dozen reservoirs that feed into Powell. All of those lakes are now at 92% capacity or better and Powell itself has risen more than 19 FT from where it was a year ago.
The lake began to rise in the spring and have been coming up ever since. At times the water rose so fast it created some issues. Park officials reported in June the lake water level rose anywhere from 6 to 15 inches a day. The water level rise slowed to about a 2-inches a day in July.
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Park Rangers were out warning boaters to check their anchors and slacklines. Floating debris has become an issue as well. A dry log that's been sitting along the shoreline that's floated by the rising water becomes a major water hazard. I've hit a floating log with a bass boat before, the outcome was not good. It nearly knocked the transom and the motor off the back.
The rapidly rising water can catch visitors off guard. Especially those that park their vehicles to close to the shore. If you were to leave your car parked by the water's edge, you may return days later to submerged vehicle.
Lake Powell is massive. It's the nation’s second-largest water reserve. The lake covers hundreds of miles over two states. The reservoir currently holds 4,537,812,213,877 gallons of water! Is that number in Billions or Trillions? Whatever, it's big!
Credit: Fox31