Weather State Of Emergency At Lake Powell: Fears Of Hydroelectric And Water Shutoffs Mount

[marsh]

Zerohedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

State Of Emergency At Lake Powell: Fears Of Hydroelectric And Water Shutoffs Mount

Authored by Mike Shedlock via MishTalk.com,

Lake Powell is getting an emergency release of water from upstream reservoirs. Water levels have approached a critical level.



Grim Future for Lake Powell
Water levels in Lake Powell are at record lows. If levels drop much further, hydroelectric turbines will cease to run.

The lake supplies water to 30 million people and irrigation of 5 million acres.

Emergency Declared
Gizmodo reports Officials Pull ‘Emergency Lever’ as Lake Powell Plunges Toward Dangerous New Low.

The Bureau of Reclamation began emergency water releases from reservoirs upstream in the Colorado River this week in an effort to keep Lake Powell, the country’s second-largest reservoir, full enough to continue to generate hydroelectric power.

The reservoir is projected to hit a critical new low of (1,075 meters) by April 2022, just 25 feet (7.6 meters) above the level at which hydropower can no longer be generated. The Bureau of Reclamation said the emergency releases from reservoirs upstream—which includes the Flaming Gorge Reservoir in Wyoming, the Blue Mesa Reservoir in Colorado, and the Navajo Reservoir in New Mexico—will continue until December and could last into next year.

The low water levels in Lake Powell aren’t just a problem for the industries and cities that rely on the water in the reservoir. It’s also an issue for the Glen Canyon Dam, a 1,320-megawatt hydroelectric power plant that produces electricity distributed to customers in seven different states. The Bureau of Reclamation said the releases from Flaming Gorge, which will start this month, will increase the water level 50 cubic feet (1.4 cubic meters) per second every day, and will last until July 23.

Glen Canyon Dam isn’t the only hydropower plant facing trouble with the West’s megadrought. The water level at Lake Oroville, California’s largest reservoir, has dipped so low this summer during the state’s searing heat that officials say they may have to shut off the hydropower plant there.

Lake Mead, another large reservoir downstream on the river, fell to its lowest levels in history in June. Officials are planning to declare water shortage conditions in August that would trigger water-saving measures in surrounding states. If the water levels fall below 3,525 feet in Lake Powell it could “potentially lead to seven-state litigation, which we’ve never seen before on [the] Colorado River,” Amy Ostdiek, deputy section chief of the federal, interstate and water information section of the Colorado Water Conservation Board, told Colorado Public Radio. “Which would create a lot of uncertainty. It would probably be a very long, drawn out process.”

Cascading Emergency
Think of Lake Mead and Lake Powell as one big reservoir separated by the Grand Canyon. Both are on the Colorado River.

Lake Mead is endangered but Lake Powell cannot help because it's endangered too.

Lake Powell needs help from further upstream reservoirs. But what are the upstream reservoirs going to do?

Lake Powell is Doomed
The Salt Lake Tribune reports Lake Powell could become a ‘dead pool’ as climate change, political wars and unabated growth drain its waters

“Lake Powell is doomed,” says Gary Wockner, an author and scientist who heads the group Save the Colorado. “The sooner we accept that inevitability, the sooner we will find a permanent solution.”

Under a 1922 interstate compact, the river’s water is evenly divided between its Upper Basin (Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah) and Lower Basin (Arizona, Nevada and California) states. Each basin is supposed to receive 7.5 million acre-feet, with Mexico getting 1.5 million. But, in reality, far less water than that has been available during the past two decades, while the Lower Basin states have been pulling more than its allocated share.

Even with the Upper Basin taking far less than its share, the level of Utah’s Lake Powell, which stores runoff originating in these upriver states, has been steadily dropping. Today, its surface sits at 3,575 feet above sea level, holding 10 million acre-feet of water, about half as much as it did in 2000, when its elevation was about 100 feet higher. Four of the 10 lowest-runoff years have occurred during this time period.

Even amid all this uncertainty, Upper Basin states are pursuing more diversions, which could funnel up to 300,000 acre-feet from Powell.One of those projects, Utah’s Lake Powell pipeline to St. George, would siphon off 86,000 acre-feet.

Water Rights
Water rights differ greatly between the Western and Eastern US. The East is primarily governed by Riparian Rights and the West by Appropriative Rights.

In California, Water Rights Law is a blend.

A riparian right entitles the landowner to use a correlative share of the water flowing past his or her property. Riparian rights do not require permits, licenses, or government approval, but they apply only to the water which would naturally flow in the stream. Riparian rights do not entitle a water use to divert water to storage in a reservoir for use in the dry season or to use water on land outside of the watershed. Riparian rights remain with the property when it changes hands, although parcels severed from the adjacent water source generally lose their right to the water.

Water right law was set on a different course in 1849, when thousands of fortune seekers flocked to California following the discovery of gold. Water development proceeded on a scale never before witnessed in the United States as these “49ers” built extensive networks of flumes and waterways to work their claims. The water carried in these systems often had to be transported far from the original river or stream. The self-governing, maverick miners applied the same “finders-keepers” rule to water that they did to their mining claims. It belonged to the first miner to assert ownership.

To stake their water claims, the miners developed a system of “posting notice” which signaled the birth of today’s appropriative right system. It allowed others to divert available water from the same river or stream, but their rights existed within a hierarchy of priorities. This “first in time, first in right” principal became an important feature of modern water right law.

In 1850, California entered the Union as the thirty-first state. One of the first actions taken by its lawmakers was to adopt the common law of riparian rights. One year later, the Legislature recognized the appropriative right system as having the force of law. The appropriative right system continued to increase in use as agriculture and population centers blossomed and ownership of land was transferred into private hands.

The conflicting nature of California’s dual water right system prompted numerous legal disputes. Unlike appropriative users, riparian right holders were not required to put water to reasonable and beneficial use. This clash of rights eventually resulted in a constitutional amendment (Article X, Section 2 of the California Constitution) that requires all use of water to be “reasonable and beneficial.” These “beneficial uses” have commonly included municipal and industrial uses, irrigation, hydroelectric generation, and livestock watering. More recently, the concept has been broadened to include recreational use, fish and wildlife protection, and enhancement and aesthetic enjoyment.

100 Feet Down 25 Feet to Go
With the above water rights understanding out of the way, let's return to water levels.

The water level of Lake Powell is down 100 feet since 2000. In another 25 feet, the turbines shut down.

Yet more water projects in the upper basin are planned. This is allowed because the upper basin is not using its fair share as determined in a 1922 decree.

California, in the Lower Basin is using more than its fair share.

First come first serve and California's hybrid is going to meet reality: There is not enough water so something has to give.

Where this is Headed
It's certain this is headed to the US Supreme Court as that is the only way state-to-state conflicts are resolved.

At least 7 states are involved in Colorado River claims, and disputes are rising.

On July 11, I noted Mississippi Claims Memphis is Stealing its Groundwater, Supreme Court to Decide

That's the first of many water issues that will head the Supreme Court's way.

 

[vestige]

Quit watering lawns, golf courses and washing cars.

 

[TheSearcher]

Quit watering lawns, golf courses and washing cars.

Pretty much. Grow food, make electricity, and provide drinking water. Priorities.

 

[marsh]

Meanwhile in CA



(photos Leonard Dixon.)

 

[Publius]

This may show one of the reasons why they want to kill off as many people as they can! To many people that use way to much resources.

 

[Grouchy Granny]

Get rid of personal swimming pools! If CA is in such a world of hurt, I see no reason to maintain pools and the water can be used elsewhere.

Reclamation is releasing water from Flaming Gorge (Utah border) and Blue Mesa (CO) to help Glen Canyon and Hoover out so they can keep generating power. Both of those reservoirs are upstream from Lake Powell.

Wonder how Folsom and some of the other hydro plants in CA are doing. Think most of my contacts are retired now so I can't really ask.

 

[raven]

not a problem . . .
we are converting to all electric . . .
the solution to all the worlds problems

 

[cyberiot]

Pretty much. Grow food, make electricity, and provide drinking water. Priorities.

^^^This!^^^

And don't cut the farmer's allocation so you can water the golf course. A magazine article I wrote some years ago mentioned a golf course in Aruba that used green sand. (The occasional goat ambled across the fairway, making for an interesting hazard.) Alternatives abound.

 

[hiwall]

This may show one of the reasons why they want to kill off as many people as they can! To many people that use way to much resources.

Then why let millions more come here across our border?

 

[Publius]

Then why let millions more come here across our border?

Who knows and no telling how many of them get the kill shot once it's determined they are completely useless human being.

 

[jed turtle]

Then why let millions more come here across our border?

Thought it was completely obvious.
we are being invaded by a hostile enemy that will drain us dry, and then light the fires that finish us off.

 

[marsh]

Zerohedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

One Shocking Chart Has Californians Trembling With Fear

THURSDAY, JUL 29, 2021 - 11:00 PM

Readers know by now that the Western US is facing a megadrought, heat waves, fallow lands, wildfires, water shortages, grasshopper plague, and deteriorating reservoir conditions.

The latest data from the California Department of Water Resources provides a map of water levels for 12 major reservoirs in California.

What's concerning is that nearly all reservoirs in the state are way their historical average marks that suggest stricter water conservation measures are ahead. Some of these reservoirs are at risk of having their hydroelectric power plant cease operations because the water level is too low to turn the turbines.



The latest US Drought Monitor data shows much of California is in an "extreme drought." Relief in sight? How about not.



It's only a matter of time before Californian officials prepare for water shortage measures. There's also the possibility the first-ever federally declared water shortage could be announced.

Some Californians are trembling with fear as their water supplies dwindle in some of the worst droughts in decades.

 

[summerthyme]

For the first time in history, we had the resources (dams and reservoirs) and the knowledge to mitigate all this, if not completely prevent the pain. Lake Oroville and dozens of others were overflowing 3 years ago!

But in the unlimited stupidity (do they lay awake nights trying to outdo each other? ), they've released it all (in the middle of what THEY are calling a mega drought!) to propitiate their imagined sins against Gaia, by attempting to resurrect the extinct Delta Smelt.

I hope they like Soylent Green and long pig. Morons.

Summerthyme

 

[Grouchy Granny]

Forgot to add that they are also releasing from Navajo reservoir in New Mexico. It only has a pumping plant, but that plant pumps water to the Navajo Irrigation Project which has their big Ag farm on it. Bet the tribe is not too happy with that, since they have water rights.

Judging by the chart above, the hydro plants that I know of up close and personal that are in deep chocolate are New Melones, Shasta, Trinity, and Folsom. Guess Cali ought to get ready for more blackouts.

 

[9idrr]

For the first time in history, we had the resources (dams and reservoirs) and the knowledge to mitigate all this, if not completely prevent the pain. Lake Oroville and dozens of others were overflowing 3 years ago!


I hope they like Soylent Green and long pig. Morons.

Summerthyme

Any recipes for long pork would be greatly appreciated.

 

[marsh]

Zerohedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

Lake Oroville Hydro Power Plant Shut Down For First Time Due To Megadrought

FRIDAY, AUG 06, 2021 - 06:00 PM
One of California's most important hydroelectric plants has ceased operations due to falling water levels, according to the Department of Water Resources (DWR).

On Wednesday, Lake Oroville fell to a record low of 642-feet above mean sea level. By Thursday, the lake stood at 641-feet above mean sea level. Readers may recall in mid-June, we said if the "640 feet is breached, then officials will likely be forced to close the Edward Hyatt Power Plant for the first time since it opened in 1967."



Hitting the threshold was enough for DWR to declare the hydroelectric power plant had to cease operations. Lake management officials are in a water preservation emergency amid a megadrought and scorching heat waves.
Karla Nemeth, the director of DRW, said the move to shut down the powerplant follows a "climate-induced drought."



Shutting down the plant is a move to conserve as much water in Lake Oroville as possible. Water in the lake is pumped into an adjacent hydroelectric energy facility known as the Hyatt power plant, which can power 800,000 homes when operational.

"DWR State Water Project operations managers have taken the Hyatt Powerplant at Lake Oroville offline due to falling lake levels. This is the first time Hyatt Powerplant has gone offline as a result of low lake levels.

However, DWR anticipated this moment, and the state has planned for its loss in both water and grid management. We have been in regular communication about the status of Hyatt Powerplant with the California Independent Service Operator (CAISO) and the California Energy Commission and steps have been taken in anticipation of the loss of power generation.

"This is just one of many unprecedented impacts we are experiencing in California as a result of our climate-induced drought. California and much of the western part of the United States are experiencing the impacts of accelerated climate change including record-low reservoir levels due to dramatically reduced runoff this spring.

"DWR will continue to focus on reservoir operations and water storage management at Lake Oroville to preserve as much water in storage as possible. DWR will use the River Valve Outlet System to release some water from the base of Oroville Dam to maintain river temperature requirements and outflows to the Feather River.

"Falling reservoir levels are another example of why it is so critical that all Californians conserve water. We are calling on everyone to take action now to reduce water use by 15 percent, to preserve as much water supply in storage as possible should we experience another dry year. We are all in this together." - Nemeth

The loss of the Hyatt power plant might not trigger blackouts but illustrates a broader challenge facing the state's power grid operators this year amid multiple climate disasters.

Before & After
2019 Lake Oroville


2021 Lake Oroville

The power will have to be made up somewhere else to reduce the risk of blackouts:

"This is a huge problem. It's part of the big challenge we are facing this summer," Severin Borenstein, co-director of the Energy Institute at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, told The Mercury News.

The silver lining is that Oroville won't experience a spillover crisis anytime soon as drought ravages the region. Nevertheless, the federal government could quickly declare the first-ever water shortage in the area, which would prompt cutbacks in water usage.

 

[blueinterceptor]

If California only had a large body of water nearby where the salt could be removed from it, it’s problems would be solved. Maybe not spend the billions of dollars on a train to nowhere and use it to develop a desalination plant and locate an ocean nearby. They might even call it the Pacific Ocean Desalination Project.

 

[Martinhouse]

Blueinterceptor, that's exactly what I've thought the last couple of years when these fires break out. How can people be SO STUPID?!!!!!

 

[9idrr]

Blueinterceptor, that's exactly what I've thought the last couple of years when these fires break out. How can people be SO STUPID?!!!!!

Practice?

 

[blueinterceptor]

Practice?

mental illness

 

[Milkweed Host]

Any recipes for long pork would be greatly appreciated.

Dr Fauci has a cook book hitting the book shelves next month called:

Donner Party Outdoor Grilling. /scarcasm

 

[Marie]

In drought-stricken West, officials weigh emergency actions
In drought-stricken West, officials weigh emergency actions
By FELICIA FONSECA
April 13, 2022
. Federal officials sent seven western states a letter this week warning them that they're considering cutting the amount of water that flows through the Colorado River to the Southwest to maintain Lake Powell and prevent it from shrinking to a point at which Glen Canyon Dam could no longer produce hydropower. (Rob Schumacher/The Arizona Republic via AP, File)
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Federal officials say it may be necessary to reduce water deliveries to users on the Colorado River to prevent the shutdown of a huge dam that supplies hydropower to some 5 million customers across the U.S. West.

Officials had hoped snowmelt would buoy Lake Powell on the Arizona-Utah border to ensure its dam could continue to supply power. But snow is already melting, and hotter-than-normal temperatures and prolonged drought are further shrinking the lake.

The Interior Department has proposed holding back water in the lake to maintain Glen Canyon Dam’s ability to generate electricity amid what it said were the driest conditions in the region in more than 1,200 years.

“The best available science indicates that the effects of climate change will continue to adversely impact the basin,” Tanya Trujillo, the Interior’s assistant secretary for water and science wrote to seven states in the basin Friday.