The late-afternoon sun on Lake Powell, April 2018.
Vanessa Barchfield/AZPM
A new study of Lake Powell shows that capacity in the nation’s second-largest reservoir continues to shrink.
As the drought pushes water levels in Lake Powell down, a steady stream of sediment is pushing the bottom of the reservoir up.
It’s the first study of Powell’s capacity since the 1980s and a high-tech combination of aerial and underwater radar found that the reservoir can hold 7% less water than when it was built.
The buildup of sediment is not expected to interfere with hydropower at the Glen Canyon Dam.
But the same can’t be said for dropping water levels.
An ongoing 22-year drought is causing record lows, and water officials say more cutbacks and emergency measures will be needed to keep water flowing through the dam.
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