Newly discovered damage in Glen Canyon Dam would require releasing less water at low reservoir levels — a problem that increases water risks in the Southwest.
Federal officials have discovered damage inside Glen Canyon Dam that could force limits on how much Colorado River water is released at low reservoir levels, raising risks the Southwest could face shortages that were previously unforeseen. The damage was recently detected in four 8-foot-wide steel tubes — called the river outlet works — that allow water to pass through the dam in northern Arizona when Lake Powell reaches low levels.
Research has shown that global warming is intensifying drought years and contributing significantly to the reduced flows. The water level in Lake Powell, the nation’s second-largest reservoir, now sits at 33% of capacity — its surface about 68 feet above the lowest level at which the dam can continue generating electricity. The snowpack in the upper Colorado River Basin this year has been above average, and the snowmelt will give reservoir levels a boost for now.
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