In July 2022, Lake Mead dropped to the lowest point it has ever been and was only 27 percent of its usual capacity. Granted, there is a chance, albeit a diminishing one, that we could narrowly avoid a Tier 2B declaration. Help power the National Parks Travelers coverage of national parks and protected areas. Projection for end of April 2022 is 1,057.14 feet. Did you encounter any technical issues? It made national headlines in 2022 as its water level hit the lowest it had ever been due to the ongoing . The current water elevation for end of March is 1,063.11 feet. Water level status projections from the BOR's March 2022 Most Probable Inflow 24-Month Study: The current water elevation for end of March is 1,063.11 feet. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. Federal officials have a sobering forecast for the Colorado River Basin: Lake Mead, the nations largest reservoir which serves millions of people in the Southwest, will likely drop another 12 feet by this fall. more information on current conditions Callville Bay launch ramp is open on one lane of pipe mat and will likely close in April 2022 or when the lake level drops below 1,062 feet elevation. Dropping water levels at Lake Mead have caused its shorelines to recede, exposing boats, barrels and bodies. The monthly, two-year forecast from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has once again been revised down, with lake levels hitting a new potential low of 1,007 feet of elevation in November 2023. Part of the agreement to leave water in Lake Powell was that when it came time to declare a shortage, that water would be counted as if it were in Lake Mead. The worst drought conditions were noted in the San Joaquin Valley and surrounding mountains in California, where the snow cover is virtually non-existent below 8,000 feet, the monitor reported, which has caused the peak snow-melt water to occur weeks ahead of normal. Wintertime snowpack stores precious water that later melts and drains into reservoirs in the spring. But it's a sign of a much bigger problem. Although Lake Mead's water levels reached an all time low in 2022, it was also the year that saw the water levels rise slightly for the first time in three years. North Carolina: Financial information about this organization and a copy of its license are available from the State Solicitation Licensing Branch at 888-830-4989 or 919-807-2214. Koebele said there are policies being put in place such as the Drought Contingency Plan. Projection for end of April 2022 is 1,057.14 feet. California snowpack provides 30% of the states water, according to the Department of Water Resources. Previous Bureau of Recreation (BOR) projections anticipated this lake level drop happening in May, but the most recent projections suggest it will occur sooner. That . The most recent 5-year projections of future Colorado River system conditions were produced using the following assumptions: Additional details are available in CRMMS Ensemble Mode page. "But, remember, because our reservoirsparticularly Powell and Meadare so low from 23-plus years of drought, it would take many years of above-average snow and runoff to refill the reservoirs. If we dont, that means well have to put even more water in the kitty in subsequent years to make up the difference. News Release Date: September 24, 2021 BOULDER CITY, Nev.. - Lake Mead National Recreation Area (NRA) is reminding boaters to be aware of expected changes to water access points and boat launch areas in 2022 due to historically low water levels.Three launch ramps and three marinas remain open in the park; however, some launch sites will be impacted next spring and summer by continuing . the Colorado River has endured a drought for two decades and officials project Lake Mead's water levels will continue . The May forecast also includes about half of the water needed to carry out the 500-plus plan, which was supposed to keep Lake Mead just above its last major defense point of 1,020 feet if we voluntarily saved 500,000 acre-feet of water, over and above whatever mandatory cuts we must make based on the level of shortage the lake has reached, each year for five years. The park is actively evaluating the long-term implications of ongoing historic drought on recreational infrastructure and analyzing the most accurate scientific data available to make the best decisions possible. But this year did not bring much-needed precipitation to the river basin. Democrats fumble on the climate crisis again as US suffers consequences of inaction. Do you have a question about Lake Mead? CRMMS Ensemble Mode is driven by an ensemble of monthly unregulated streamflow forecasts developed by the National Weather Service Colorado Basin River Forecasting Center (CBRFC) using the Ensemble Streamflow Prediction (ESP) method. Lake Powell and Lake Mead operations are modeled as if the 0.480 maf had been delivered to Lake Mead for Lake Powell operating tier and condition determination purposes for the U.S. Lower Basin and for Mexico. If that forecast holds in next months report, which is what federal officials will use to determine cuts for 2023, the Southwest will be subject to a Tier 2 water shortage and the fresh cuts that come with it starting in January. Data from current condition sites are relayed to the Nevada Water . The bureaus next consequential report comes in August, at which point it will determine whether more cuts are needed. With climate change, its highly unlikely that well get years of wetter than normal conditions. "There's been a good start to the snowfall season, but it is way too early to know what runoff will look like," she said. However, boaters should expect higher congestion at these locations. On February 1 in 2022 and 2021, respectively,. Results from CRMMS run with ESP are referred to as CRMMS-ESP. Officials are focused on the wrong problem, advocates say. 2023 www.azcentral.com. The most recent forecast projects elevations as if that 480,000 acre-feet had flowed from Powell to Mead. Officials expect more grim finds, and have already received calls from visitors about possible remains that turned out to be animal bones or prop skeletons left by local scuba divers years earlier. Lake Mead, which provides water to roughly 25 million people in Arizona, Nevada, California and Mexico, is losing water at an alarming rate amid an extraordinary, multi-year drought made worse by the climate crisis. Officials are focused on the wrong problem, advocates say. ), they also limit the amount of groundwater that is stored within the landscape," Daniella Rempe, a hydrologist and geomorphologist at the Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas in Austin, previously told Newsweek. The U.S. Drought Monitor shows that between October last year and January 24, 2023, the percentage of Nevada suffering from Extreme Drought decreased from 44.61 to 18.53, with the rest of the state experiencing Moderate Drought and Severe Drought. Despite the lackluster outlook for Lake Mead's water levels, the drought status of California, Nevada and Arizona has been alleviated significantly by the recent rainfall. Residents of the following states may obtain a copy of our financial and additional information as stated below: The entire southwest is in real trouble. The bureau's 24-month study shows that Lake Mead is headed 26 feet lower a year from now. Managing for both short-term emergencies and long-term sustainability makes this situation particularly difficult.". Because once the lakes hit these dangerously low levels, its unlikely that they will ever recover. Experts predict that in a few years, the lake's water levels could be as low as 895 feet, which would be too low to flow past the dam. Wet years in the 1990s and 2000s did not refill the lakes it simply kept them from going lower. Elizabeth Koebele, an associate professor of political science at the University of Nevada, Reno, told Newsweek: "This is a Colorado River problem what I call a "system problem" and we'd be remiss to think of it otherwise. Water levels in Lake Mead reached the lowest they have ever been last July, at 1,040.8 feet. That projection is about 12 feet higher than the 2023 end-of-year mark in the bureau's forecast from December. Projection for end of July 2022 is 1,046.87 feet. This was the lowest water levels have been since the lake was first constructed in the 1930s. The latest report from the US Bureau of Reclamation shows Lake Mead at just over 1,040 feet above sea level in July, having dropped nearly 10 feet in just two months, and is currently at just. Colorado River System Projections Overview, probabilistic results for the 2-year period, 2022 Glen Canyon Dam operational adjustment, Equalization Tier (Powell >= Equalization [EQ] Elevation), Upper Elevation Balancing Tier (Powell < EQ Elevation and >= 3,575 ft), Upper Elevation Balancing - annual release > 8.23 maf, Upper Elevation Balancing - annual release = 8.23 maf, Upper Elevation Balancing - annual release < 8.23 maf, Mid-Elevation Release Tier (Powell < 3,575 and >= 3,525 ft), Mid-Elevation Release - annual release = 8.23 maf, Mid-Elevation Release - annual release = 7.48 maf, Lower Elevation Balancing Tier (Powell < 3,525 ft), Lower Elevation Balancing - annual release > 8.23 maf, Lower Elevation Balancing - annual release < 8.23 maf, Surplus Condition - any amount (Mead >= 1,145 ft), Normal Year or ICS Surplus Condition (Mead < 1,145 and > 1,075 ft), Recovery of DCP ICS / Mexicos Water Savings (Mead >/>= 1,110 ft), DCP Contribution / Mexicos Water Savings (Mead <= 1,090 and > 1,075 ft), Shortage Condition - any amount (Mead <= 1,075 ft), Shortage / Reduction - 1st Level (Mead <= 1,075 and >= 1,050 ft), DCP Contribution / Mexicos Water Savings (Mead <= 1,075 and >= 1,050 ft), Shortage / Reduction - 2nd Level (Mead < 1,050 and >= 1,025 ft), DCP Contribution / Mexicos Water Savings (Mead < 1,050 and > 1,045 ft), DCP Contribution / Mexicos Water Savings (Mead <= 1,045 and > 1,040 ft), DCP Contribution / Mexicos Water Savings (Mead <= 1,040 and > 1,035 ft), DCP Contribution / Mexicos Water Savings (Mead <= 1,035 and > 1,030 ft), DCP Contribution / Mexicos Water Savings (Mead <= 1,030 and >=/> 1,025 ft), Shortage / Reduction - 3rd Level (Mead < 1,025 ft), DCP Contribution / Mexicos Water Savings (Mead