{"id":59024,"date":"2021-08-18T05:15:48","date_gmt":"2021-08-18T10:15:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/olduvai.ca\/?p=59024"},"modified":"2021-08-18T05:15:48","modified_gmt":"2021-08-18T10:15:48","slug":"water-shortage-crisis-hoover-dam-is-at-record-low-water-level","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/olduvai.ca\/?p=59024","title":{"rendered":"Water Shortage Crisis, Hoover Dam is at Record-Low Water Level"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Water Shortage Crisis, Hoover Dam is at Record-Low Water Level<\/a><\/h3>\n
Lake Mead faces a water crisis. Lake Powell, also fed by the Colorado River, is even deeper into crisis level.<\/div>\n
MISH<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n
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Severe Drought Could Threaten Power Supply in West for Years to Come<\/strong><\/p>\n

The WSJ reports\u00a0Severe Drought Could Threaten Power Supply in West for Years to Come<\/a><\/p>\n

The water level at Lake Mead, the Colorado River reservoir serving the Hoover Dam, fell to 1,068 ft. in July, the lowest level since the lake was first filled following the dam\u2019s construction in the 1930s. This month, the federal government is expected to declare a water shortage on the Colorado River for the first time, triggering cutbacks in water allocations to surrounding states from the river.<\/p>\n

If the water level drops 118 ft. from July\u2019s level, to 950 ft., it would fall below the turbines and the dam must shut down, said\u00a0Patti Aaron, public affairs officer at the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.<\/p>\n

The power declines are significant. At 1,200 ft. water elevation\u2014where it was in the year 2000, when water levels were among the dam\u2019s highest levels\u2014the dam can power up to 450,000 homes. At the current elevation, that figure falls to 350,000.<\/p>\n

The California Independent System Operator, or Caiso, which oversees the state\u2019s power grid, last summer resorted to\u00a0rolling blackouts during a West-wide heat wave that constrained the state\u2019s ability to import electricity. The supply crunch was most acute in the evening, after solar production declined<\/em>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Elevation Stats<\/strong><\/p>\n