Massive November Lake Powell "Super Flow" planned?

[Pegasus]

I heard a strong rumor that NPS/Bureau of Reclamation is planning (or considering?) an 8-day super release from Lake Powell as soon as early November. If done, this would lower the lake by +/-15 feet in a week! Have other WW members heard of this?

I thought I’d read that the past years super flows did not do what they were supposed to, and they had considered not doing anymore at all in the future – now I hear they could be doubling the number of days of past outflows? I hope this isn’t true.

Other news stories from the past week talked about how Lake Powell, for the past 4 years, is being improperly used to prop up Lake Meade, so its elevation does not go below 1075 and invoke drought restrictions. This has been done by releasing 9 million acre feet per year vs. 8.23 million acre feet per year.

It seems to me that since the federal government decided to manage Lake Powell and Lake Meade as ‘one’ in +/-2008, the upper basin states, and Lake Powell, are being taken to the cleaners.

Are their political forces at work here doing their best to ‘drain Lake Powell’ under the radar? That’s my bet. -Doug

 

[Lake Bum]

It's the "save the Chub" flush. I used to get REALLY upset over this, but then I figured out, that all the extra water that is released during this flush, does in fact count towards the water yearly total that is allotted for release. In other words, it was going to be released anyways.
As far as my opinion of the chub, that isn't fit for public reading on this family forum

 

[Gem Morris]

And in years past it amounts to about 3’, not 15’.

 

[airford1]

Call it what you want, but my guess it is to prop up Mead. I live in SoCal and have been watching the water Wars develop and we are getting real close to all Hell breaking loose in a fight for the Colorado River water. The Central California water table is collapsing from all the pumping as much as 5 feet the ground has dropped in places from water displacement. Utah, Colorado, Nevada, California, Arizona and New Mexico have grown in population from 1970 to today that has more than doubled in all the States. California from 20 million to 40 million and the other states more. No State has even thought about limiting the growth in building. Dont Know what Farming has been restricted if any. That being said God himself couldn't find enough water the fill Mead and Powell in my life time. We treat water as if there was an infinite supply the way we pollute it and waste it. Hope for rain and snow pack is not a good plan.
Sorry for my rant. Save the Colorado River system , Plant Artificial Turf.

 

[bw56]

I think we should build a bullet train!

 

[linnell]

I think we should build a bullet train!

 

[airford1]

View attachment 3233

California voters seem to have the I.Q. of a wooden fence post at times. Well Most of the time. OK all the time

 

[Goblin]

This lack of water in California is by design so as to make the Boring Company's tunnels safer. Nothing worse than digging tunnels everywhere and then having them flood. Bernie Madoff Elon Musk thinks of everything.

Goblin

 

[WaterMan]

Here is the last update on September 6.

https://www.gcrg.org/guide_resources_dam.php

 

[Tiff Mapel]

Oh boy, here we go. Let's plan a high flow release when it's one of the WORST runoff years in record. That's good planning.

Tiff

 

[Bill Sampson]

Living in California my whole life makes me wonder how we can keep building homes with our state basically in a drought situation.

 

[airford1]

Living in California my whole life makes me wonder how we can keep building homes with our state basically in a drought situation.

The problem is worse that most know.

 

[Waterbaby]

Living in California my whole life makes me wonder how we can keep building homes with our state basically in a drought situation.

~LOL~ With the new come here and get free healthcare plan for Newsom California will have no water to go around for those already there.

That said - I don't like the high flows, but I think they were designed more for the rafters than California because they don't change the release number over the period of a year - means more at one time is less released at a later time. IF they are releasing X amount in 12 months they just rearrange accordingly. Wayne has said they actually help Lake Powell fishing. Anyway, this doesn't mean Mead or CA for getting more water than allocated. My issue is it bypasses the turbines and power production.

 

[wayne gustaveson]

~LOL~ With the new come here and get free healthcare plan for Newsom California will have no water to go around for those already there.

That said - I don't like the high flows, but I think they were designed more for the rafters than California because they don't change the release number over the period of a year - means more at one time is less released at a later time. IF they are releasing X amount in 12 months they just rearrange accordingly. Wayne has said they actually help Lake Powell fishing. Anyway, this doesn't mean Mead or CA for getting more water than allocated. My issue is it bypasses the turbines and power production.

It helps Lake Powell fish when the have a big spring flow. The HFE in the fall is not helpful.

 

[shanewave]

My brain hurts from reading all this. To make it worse, I just got home from a weekend in San Antonio, where it has been raining for a week solid. Just unbelievable, all this unproductive (albeit beautiful) blue sky in the southwest.