Colorado gets most of its water from melting snow, and the situation has worsened over the past two years as soils have become so dry that much of the runoff is absorbed before it reaches the river. This year, runoff in Colorado’s Upper Basin, which reaches Lake Powell, is expected to be only about two-thirds of the average.
Find out the latest news on climate change
Map 1 of 6
Extreme heat. The heat wave has been sweeping India and Pakistan for weeks and is expected to intensify. The scorching weather is a reminder of what lies ahead in an era of climate change as hot flashes become more frequent, more dangerous and more lasting.
Lake Powell is currently at an altitude of 3,523 feet, 177 feet below capacity. The receivers that allow water through the dam to generate hydropower are 3,490 feet.
In a letter to state water officials in April, in which she proposed to preserve the water in Lake Powell, Ms. Trujillo wrote that if the lake reached 3,490 feet, “the western power grid will experience uncertain risk and instability.”
Hydropower is useful for maintaining the stability of electricity grids in part because the amount of electricity generated can change quickly to help the grid match demand.
In addition, Ms. Trujillo writes, the water supply of the western and southwestern states “will be subject to increased operational uncertainty.” The water supply of Paige, Arizona, near the dam, and the nearby tribe of locals would be particularly at risk, she wrote, as their intake is at about the same height as the water intakes.
The dam itself will face “unprecedented challenges for reliability”, Ms Trujillo writes, because with water intakes above the water level, lake water will have to be routed through the dam through lower tunnels that are not designed for continuous use. . “We are approaching working conditions for which we have only very limited actual operational experience – and which happened nearly 60 years ago,” she wrote.
Brad Udal, a senior climatologist at the State University of Colorado, said concerns about the reliability of the power grid and the dam had not actually been raised in all land-based contingency plans over the past few decades.
Add Comment