Annual 'Let's look at the Lake Powell Snowpack' thread

[boonecragun]

So wild to see such a little blip on the charts. Sad times.

IT’S AWFUL!!

[boonecragun]

Elevation gain from runoff ended last year on June 22. Maybe we can squeeze another foot out by then...horrible runoff year.

[25cents]

Elevation gain from runoff ended last year on June 22. Maybe we can squeeze another foot out by then...horrible runoff year.

It’s up a full 18 inches since last week. Not good at all.

headed down to Wawheap for the first time tomorrow. It will be interesting.

[boonecragun]

It’s official...we’ve peaked. What a crappy year...

[freeheel4life]

It’s official...we’ve peaked. What a crappy year...

And yet golf courses are green from St George down to Scottsdale.

It's not just down south....Southern Oregon farmers are literally getting zero irrigation water this summer. Tough year out west. I fear there's more to come

[sandm]

if you're farming, time to move to cali. all the articles here in vegas are touting they are not going to lose any water this year from the colorado. only nevada/arizona.

going to get ugly both on the lack of water front AND the lawsuit front as water starts to be rationed. in the end we all lose but the lawyers.

[talltigeguy]

I read that the snowpack this year was about 79% of normal, but the runoff was only 26% of normal. It does seem the runoff was even substantially worse than the winter was. 79% is not good at all, but it isn't abysmal. We have had lower years recently with better runoff.

I know the wind, the rate at which it melts and other factors affect the runoff, does anyone have a link to an analysis of what happened?

On a side note, the compact that distributes Colorado River water is due to be renegotiated in 2026. Currently, rights are given to about 110% or more of the actual water that is flowing. So people have 'rights' to water that doesn't actually exist. Now I understand why my city is so eager to get its 2-4 billion dollar pipeline built to start siphoning a portion of Utah's share. They likely see the writing on the wall that it won't happen if it isn't already in the works by then. I have a hard time thinking that Utah will be able to compete in those negotiations with Phoenix, Vegas and SoCal.

[InstantBreakfast]

Are you referring to the pipeline from Powell to st george?

[talltigeguy]

Are you referring to the pipeline from Powell to st george?

Yes. It will bring water to what is quite possibly the highest per capita water using city in the nation.

[MJO21]

Is all the snow out there going to help? Or is it on the wrong side of the range? I thought I saw where places around Tahoe have gotten a lot of snow already.

[talltigeguy]

Is all the snow out there going to help? Or is it on the wrong side of the range? I thought I saw where places around Tahoe have gotten a lot of snow already.

The snowpack that drains into lake powell is at 118% of the average for this time of year. So that is great! But not like the Sierra Nevadas that have really gotten a pounding and are 167% of normal.

[25cents]

Would love to see the numbers keep increasing. So sad to see the lakes constant decline.

[Zackdogg]

The snowpack that drains into lake powell is at 118% of the average for this time of year. So that is great! But not like the Sierra Nevadas that have really gotten a pounding and are 167% of normal.

And the Sierras is pretty much all in a 3 week period. I think they’re bending the numbers a little, as far as record setting, but we’ll take it. Our lake was unusable in June this year. Hopefully the snowpack will buy us a full summer.


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[boonecragun]

Keep that snow coming!

[boonecragun]

we are already hitting the downward slope on the snowpack. NOT GOOD. Hopefully storms this week in CO will help out, but unlikely.