Colorado River in Drought

by NASA Earth Observatory Robert Simmon

Title

Colorado River in Drought

Artist

NASA Earth Observatory Robert Simmon

Medium

Photograph - Photograph

Description

Lake Powell is a reservoir on the Colorado River that provides water and electricity to several western states. Most of the reservoir is in southern Utah, as shown in this image acquired by the Landsat 8 satellite. The reservoir is created by the Glen Canyon Dam, standing about 25 miles south off the bottom of this image, in Arizona. After 14 years of drought, Lake Powell is at 42 percent of its capacity. The low water levels are evident in this image, which was acquired on May 13, 2014. It is normal for water levels to fluctuate in the reservoir depending on how much water flows in from snow and rain and how much flows out to meet needs. However, it has been dry in all but three of the past 14 years. At the beginning of 2000, Lake Powell was at 94 percent of capacity. By October 2013 (the beginning of the 2014 water year), water levels had dropped to a low of 50 percent capacity, according to the Bureau of Reclamation, the agency that manages the reservoir.

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November 27th, 2018

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