September 9, 2016

The end of Lake Mead and Lake Powell?

Eco Watch -  The 16-year drought on the Colorado River has drained Lake Mead and Lake Powell to their combined lowest level in history. But that's nothing compared to what could happen, according to a new study from the State of Colorado.

The study indicates that a drought like the one that happened in 2000 – 2006 "would empty Lake Powell," according to the Aspen Daily News. "Another potential conclusion from the risk study is that any new trans-mountain diversion would only make it more likely that Powell would go below target levels," the publication noted.

And, whether you want to believe it or not, water agencies in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah are proposing to do just that. In fact, Denver Water, Northern Water (in Colorado), and the states of Wyoming and Utah are all proposing even more dams and diversions of water out of the river and its tributaries that would accelerate the draining of Lake Powell and cause serious legal consequences for the entire Southwest U.S.

1 comment:

Greg Gerritt said...

Time for the people to start leaving the places with no water before they turn into refugees and the rest of us starve. It seems as if most of the states in the west are run by climate deniers. Therefore they are very unlikely to do any real planning for what to do as the water evaporates. I sure hope by the time they walk to Rhode Island they have figured out they better start thinking very differently about climate change.