Lake Powell officials take emergency steps to protect hydropower from Glen Canyon Dam

The first step is releasing extra water from upstream on the Colorado River this year. The second is water will probably be held back in Lake Powell itself, instead of being despatched to downstream states.

The US Bureau of Reclamation expects the dual actions will boost Lake Powell by nearly 1 million acre-feet of water. The reservoir contained about 5.8 million acre-feet of water as of Tuesday, in accordance with the bureau, though its full capability is around 25 million acre-feet.

With out the emergency steps, the bureau estimated there was a couple of 25% likelihood the Glen Canyon Dam might have stopped producing hydropower by January. The dam generates energy for as many as 5.8 million homes and businesses in seven states.

The company said in a statement Tuesday's determination was meant to protect "hydropower technology, the facility's key infrastructure, and the water supply for the city of Page, Arizona, and the LeChee Chapter of the Navajo Nation."

The emergency actions will buy the federal government 12 months because it considers longer-term measures.

"We have now by no means taken this step earlier than, however the potential danger on the horizon calls for prompt motion," Assistant Secretary of Water and Science, Tanya Trujillo informed reporters. "We need to work together to stabilize the reservoir earlier than we face a bigger crisis."

Lake Powell has dropped around 100 feet within the last three years as the West has been besieged by drought. As the water stage has fallen, Glen Canyon Dam has lost about 16% of its capability to generate energy.

Bryan Hill, common manager of the general public energy utility in Web page, Arizona, likened the situation to judgment day.

"We're knocking on the door of judgment day," Hill beforehand informed CNN. "Judgment day being when we don't have any water to present anybody."

The decisions made for Lake Powell also affect its downstream neighbor, Lake Mead, which is the largest reservoir in the country.

Water cuts for those who rely on Lake Mead started in January, and Tuesday's choice might lead to additional restrictions.

Lake Mead's water stage is now low enough to show one of many reservoir's original, 1971 water intake valves for the first time. The valve can no longer draw water, in accordance with the Southern Nevada Water Authority, the agency answerable for managing water sources for 2.2 million folks in southern Nevada, together with Las Vegas.

Officers over the weekend made another disturbing discovery brought on by Lake Mead's plummeting water degree: a body in a barrel police say is a likely murder victim from the Nineteen Eighties.

"The lake has drained dramatically during the last 15 years," mentioned Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Homicide Lieutenant Ray Spencer. "It is probably that we'll find additional bodies that have been dumped in Lake Mead" because the water level drops extra.