Water Levels Threaten Crucial Dam
The low water levels are not just bad news for the millions of people who rely on the increasingly strained Colorado River system for water—it could mean brownouts in states around the West. If the water levels in Lake Powell fall to 3,490 feet (1,064 meters), the Glen Canyon Dam, which provides power for 5.8 million homes and businesses across several Western states, will no longer be able to generate hydropower. Federal projections released in March predict that there’s a 23% to 27% chance the lake could reach this level, known as the “minimum power pool,” over the next four years.
