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

[UNSTUCK]

While I don't like these numbers, I still think it's just one more item to add to the "new normal". With priority going to keeping Mead full(er) and lakes south of there, it makes sense that we see Powell drop a bit. Hopefully they will take the opportunity to dredge out the cut and extend ramps.

[boonecragun]

Here is a recent post on Instagram showing how crazy it is in Warm Creek bay.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CNBarEDLmZ_/

[sandm]

Bummer. I still keep hearing the reservation is still shut down due to COVID restrictions.

we were there a month ago and nothing on the reservations are open. no trails, no tours and most of the hiking is shut down. couple of the waitresses we spoke to told us they heard that they might not open tours/land/hiking until late summer.

[talltigeguy]

Runoff is not looking great. It would not surprise me if the castle rock cut does not open this year, as someone noted. Traversing the long way around during a COVID year does not seem like much fun. There would already be excessive traffic even without the low water levels.

I was there for Easter and it is clear that because the Native American community has taken such a beating from the virus that they will be one of the last places to open up.

[sandm]

news last night said mead is at it's lowest level in history. they are talking about extending the concrete ramps with metal as they believe some will be out of the water by midsummer.

going to be an interesting year if that happens.

[david.osborne24]

https://www.fox13now.com/news/local-...5xZtoIDR5LP7mA


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[talltigeguy]

http://graphs.water-data.com/lakemead/

Lake Mead is at the lowest level in history if you go back all the way to 2016. It is still 4 feet higher than that. But I am sure they meant it won't last long until it is at the lowest level since they filled it.

It is interesting to see that they nearly filled the lake in 3 years.

[sandm]

interesting graphs tall. too bad water shares are such a hot button issue. would be nice to see them scale back the releases for a few years and fill it back up. doing so would sure mitigate some water issues in the immediate future and help powell as well. imagine the tourism $$ to the feds that are being left on the table from the few resorts that are not in the water anymore.

should call out tho that the graph is a little deceiving. lots on here have been on mead longer than me but since 2018 it has never been even close to being full. there has always been 100ft of exposed colored rock since we have been on it and a couple we have boated with stated it's been since the 80's that it's been a full pool

[talltigeguy]

I don't quite know why this thread won't let me quote...

The website I referenced can also be toggled to show all of the lake levels since the beginning. There is a button at the bottom. It looks like it was full about 2000 and has dropped since then. Lake Powell took almost 17 years or so to get to full pool. It has not been this low since 2005.

[UNSTUCK]

https://www.ksl.com/article/50150317...-other-changes

Antelope may not open this year. It's my favorite ramp.

[sandm]

I know water rights are a touchy subject but I hope they start rescinding some to fill up powell. such a beautiful area to allow it to drain.....

[UNSTUCK]

You guys just lot a bunch of grass didn’t you? I think it’s time for that to happen all over the west. I think I’ll concrete my whole backyard.

[sandm]

we removed all the grass in our front yard and replaced with rock/desert plants(no grass in back). our local water district paid us $2280 to do it. cost me $2450 total. not bad and cut our water bill by $70 in the summer months so we're pocketing money every month now. iirc last offer was $3.50sq/ft for removal up to $10,000.

some won't do tho as they record a permanent easement that no future owners can ever replant grass without repayment with interest. that's a future owners problem the way I see it

[UNSTUCK]

Isn't it law now in Vegas?

[sandm]

most subs ban it in front yards but anything goes in back yards and in non-hoa areas no one really patrols it. pools are likely our bigger issue here now. our last rental had a pool in it and we had to add about 6-8" of water each week to keep it full. quick rough and tough math we were losing a couple hundred gallons per week of water.
figure that out by the thousands of pools in las vegas and it adds up quickly.