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Severe Drought Could Threaten Power Supply in West for Years to Come
Water elevation at the Hoover Dam is at its lowest since Lake Mead was first filled

By Lindsay Huth and Taylor Umlauf
Aug. 14, 2021 5:30 am ET

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As drought persists across more than 95% of the American West, water elevation at the Hoover Dam has sunk to record-low levels, endangering a source of hydroelectric power for an estimated 1.3 million people across California, Nevada and Arizona.

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’s 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.

Widespread drought conditions throughout the Southwest over the past 20 years have led to a more than 130-foot drop in the water level at Lake Mead since 2000.


Lake Mead water elevation, change from previous July


Elevation rose
Elevation declined
1,250
feet
Maximum elevation
1,200
1,150
1,100
1,050
1,000
Minimum power pool
950
900
2000
’05
’10
’15
’20
Source: Bureau of Reclamation
The Bureau of Reclamation’s latest projections, from July, show the lake’s water level falling another 31 ft., to 1,037 ft., by June 2023.

For dams to produce power, they rely on the immense pressure created by the body of water they are blocking. As water levels go down, less pressure is exerted and the dams in turn produce less hydroelectric energy, which means the dam can produce less power.

Important Operating Elevations at the Hoover Dam


INTAKE
TOWER
1,229 ft.
Maximum
pool elevation
1,200
Approximate
elevation in 2000
1,068
Approximate
current elevation
950
Minimum pool
for power generation
LAKE MEAD
Note: Elevation locations are approximate.
Photo: Bureau of Reclamation (1935)
Source: Bureau of Reclamation
While 1,068 ft. of depth in a body of water as large as Lake Mead seems massive, every foot of water lost equates to about six megawatts less power generated in a year, according to Patti Aaron, public affairs officer at the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which operates and maintains the power plant. Six megawatts roughly translates to the power consumed by 800 homes.

If the water level drops 118 ft. from July’s level, to 950 ft., it would fall below the turbines and the dam must shut down, Ms. Aaron said.

The power declines are significant. At 1,200 ft. water elevation—where it was in the year 2000, when water levels were among the dam’s highest levels—the dam can power up to 450,000 homes. At the current elevation, that figure falls to 350,000.

Homes able to be powered by the Hoover Dam at different power capacities


At 1,200 ft. elevation,
producing 2,074
megawatts of power
At current 1,068 ft.
elevation, producing
1,567 megawatts
of power
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
(includes portions of Los Angeles,
Orange, Riverside, San Bernadino,
San Diego and Ventura counties)
1 = 1,000
homes
Nevada
Arizona
Los Angeles
Southern California Edison Co.
(includes portions of Fresno, Imperial, Inyo, Kern,
Kings, Los Angeles, Madera, Mono, Orange, Riverside,
San Bernadino, Santa Barbara, Tuolumne, Tulare
and Ventura counties)
Riverside, Calif.
Boulder City, Nev.
Glendale, Calif.
Vernon, Calif.
Burbank, Calif.
Pasadena, Calif.
Anaheim, Calif.
Note: Includes areas receiving power for more than 1,000 homes at 1,200 ft. water elevation. Home equivalencies represent homes powered for a year if water elevation held for a year.
Sources: Bureau of Reclamation (power allocations); Patti Aaron, Bureau of Reclamation (home equivalencies); the companies (counties covered)
The Hoover Dam is one of the nation’s largest hydroelectric facilities. About 23% of its power output serves Nevada, 19% serves Arizona, and most of the remainder serves Southern California.

The California Independent System Operator, or Caiso, which oversees the state’s power grid, last summer resorted to rolling blackouts during a West-wide heat wave that constrained the state’s ability to import electricity. The supply crunch was most acute in the evening, after solar production declined.

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First-ever federal water shortage declared for Lake Mead, triggering cuts

Andrew Freedman
Updated 4 hours ago - Energy & Environment
For the first time since its construction in the 1930s, the federal government has formally declared a water shortage at Lake Mead, the nation's largest reservoir by volume, on the Colorado River.

Why it matters: The declaration, issued by the Bureau of Reclamation, sets in motion a series of water allocation cuts to downstream states along the Colorado River.

It also serves as a stark warning to a rapidly growing Southwest population that drought, heat and climate change are major threats to the region.
Driving the news: Lake Mead is at record low levels, having dropped below 1,075 feet above sea level, or 40% of capacity. The cuts come because the forecast lake level for 2022 is below that level as well.

The West has been mired in the worst drought of this century, and when viewed over several decades, scientists have found that the Southwest is locked in the grip of the first climate change-caused megadrought seen in the past 1,200 years.

The water level of Lake Mead has been on the decline since about 1999.
Hotter temperatures and a reduction to spring snowmelt has reduced the water flowing into the Colorado River from the Rockies, where the river begins, before winding its way into the Gulf of California. So too has burgeoning water demand from increasing populations and thirsty agricultural interests.
A series of agreements governs water use from the river, as well as the cuts to be implemented when the water levels dip below a certain threshold.
Details: Lake Powell’s levels also are on the decline, which poses a threat to the electricity generated by the Glen Canyon Dam, threatening the roughly 5 billion kilowatt hours of electricity generated each year at the Glen Canyon Dam.

This first round of cuts is going to have the greatest impact on Arizona farmers, as the state will lose 18% of its share from the river, which translates to about 8% of the state's total water use, or 512,000 acre-feet. (An acre-foot is about enough water to cover an acre in a foot of water.)
Farmers in Arizona are likely to experience the brunt of the water cuts and may be faced with tough choices of letting their fields go fallow or tapping dwindling groundwater supplies or other alternate water sources.
Under the water allocation cuts, Nevada will lose about 7% of its allocation, or 21,000 acre-feet of water.
Mexico will see a reduction of roughly 5%, or 80,000 acre-feet.
According to the Bureau of Reclamation, the Upper Colorado River Basin experienced an exceptionally dry spring in 2021, with April to July runoff into Lake Powell totaling just 26% of average despite near-average snowfall last winter.
The Interior Department agency predicts the amount of water that would flow into Lake Mead without storage behind the dam is just 32% of average.
What they're saying: "It's clear that the scale and pace of climate change in the Colorado River Basin poses a huge threat to the water supplies on which everything depends," Kevin Moran, who leads the Colorado River program for the Environmental Defense Fund, told Axios.

“The Colorado River is the lifeblood of many Arizona cities, tribal communities, and generations of farmers who depend on it for water,” said Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz). “The announcement by the Bureau of Reclamation is serious, but Arizona has prepared for these initial water curtailments through the Lower Colorado River Drought Contingency Plan."

1980's era banning of CFCs has given the world a fighting chance to contain global warming -- says researchers.

jhu72 wrote: ↑Wed Aug 18, 2021 7:17 pm 1980's era banning of CFCs has given the world a fighting chance to contain global warming -- says researchers.

And the crazy thing....that stuff is still in compressed cans of c ok router cleaner, hairsprays, chewing gum remover. And since it was used to clean circuit boards and no longer used....we now have a water problem.

youthathletics wrote: ↑Thu Aug 19, 2021 12:00 am

jhu72 wrote: ↑Wed Aug 18, 2021 7:17 pm 1980's era banning of CFCs has given the world a fighting chance to contain global warming -- says researchers.

And the crazy thing....that stuff is still in compressed cans of c ok router cleaner, hairsprays, chewing gum remover. And since it was used to clean circuit boards and no longer used....we now have a water problem.

.. yup. Still have a couple cans of unused PCB cleaner with CFC propellant in my shop, just sitting on the shelf. Should probably look into disposing of it.

youthathletics wrote: ↑Thu Aug 19, 2021 12:00 am

jhu72 wrote: ↑Wed Aug 18, 2021 7:17 pm 1980's era banning of CFCs has given the world a fighting chance to contain global warming -- says researchers.

And the crazy thing....that stuff is still in compressed cans of c ok router cleaner, hairsprays, chewing gum remover. And since it was used to clean circuit boards and no longer used....we now have a water problem.

Try living in Staten Island. Only a disaster like the Love Canal could create such magic as Wu Tang. Then society had to pay for that gift by accepting Pete Davidson....

jhu72 wrote: ↑Thu Aug 19, 2021 7:16 am A new view of what constitutes life.

See what happens when you just cannot accept God.

youthathletics wrote: ↑Thu Aug 19, 2021 9:39 am

jhu72 wrote: ↑Thu Aug 19, 2021 7:16 am A new view of what constitutes life.

See what happens when you just cannot accept God.

jhu72 wrote: ↑Thu Aug 19, 2021 7:16 am A new view of what constitutes life.

Skimmed admittedly but what wrong with calling these other things organic systems and keeping it separate from life? Almost feels like scientists involved here are hitting their own wall and trying to expand a definition to make their work easier. That would be quite common in our work-whats a sport for, screw or well include x games and e games, for example .

I have a big problem when folks want to move the meaning of words or definitions around. I think it shouldn’t be simply held in the hands of a few domain specialists because language extends far beyond their small world (of any type).

Farfromgeneva wrote: ↑Thu Aug 19, 2021 10:53 am

jhu72 wrote: ↑Thu Aug 19, 2021 7:16 am A new view of what constitutes life.

Skimmed admittedly but what wrong with calling these other things organic systems and keeping it separate from life? Almost feels like scientists involved here are hitting their own wall and trying to expand a definition to make their work easier. That would be quite common in our work-whats a sport for, screw or well include x games and e games, for example .

I have a big problem when folks want to move the meaning of words or definitions around. I think it shouldn’t be simply held in the hands of a few domain specialists because language extends far beyond their small world (of any type).

... I think this definition is confined to the domain specialists at this time. Even in the domain, there is likely not general acceptance at this time. I think it is more of a concept being investigated.

jhu72 wrote: ↑Thu Aug 19, 2021 11:14 am

Farfromgeneva wrote: ↑Thu Aug 19, 2021 10:53 am

jhu72 wrote: ↑Thu Aug 19, 2021 7:16 am A new view of what constitutes life.

Skimmed admittedly but what wrong with calling these other things organic systems and keeping it separate from life? Almost feels like scientists involved here are hitting their own wall and trying to expand a definition to make their work easier. That would be quite common in our work-whats a sport for, screw or well include x games and e games, for example .

I have a big problem when folks want to move the meaning of words or definitions around. I think it shouldn’t be simply held in the hands of a few domain specialists because language extends far beyond their small world (of any type).

... I think this definition is confined to the domain specialists at this time. Even in the domain, there is likely not general acceptance at this time. I think it is more of a concept being investigated.

Gotcha. I am all for exploration but is a redefining necessary? Don’t scientists name new things all the time? Cant there just be a new name amongst them or do they need to outsource that to a poet or philosopher?

jhu72 wrote: ↑Thu Aug 19, 2021 10:09 am

youthathletics wrote: ↑Thu Aug 19, 2021 9:39 am

jhu72 wrote: ↑Thu Aug 19, 2021 7:16 am A new view of what constitutes life.

See what happens when you just cannot accept God.

Gaia

Farfromgeneva wrote: ↑Thu Aug 19, 2021 11:36 am

jhu72 wrote: ↑Thu Aug 19, 2021 11:14 am

Farfromgeneva wrote: ↑Thu Aug 19, 2021 10:53 am

jhu72 wrote: ↑Thu Aug 19, 2021 7:16 am A new view of what constitutes life.

Skimmed admittedly but what wrong with calling these other things organic systems and keeping it separate from life? Almost feels like scientists involved here are hitting their own wall and trying to expand a definition to make their work easier. That would be quite common in our work-whats a sport for, screw or well include x games and e games, for example .

I have a big problem when folks want to move the meaning of words or definitions around. I think it shouldn’t be simply held in the hands of a few domain specialists because language extends far beyond their small world (of any type).

... I think this definition is confined to the domain specialists at this time. Even in the domain, there is likely not general acceptance at this time. I think it is more of a concept being investigated.

Gotcha. I am all for exploration but is a redefining necessary? Don’t scientists name new things all the time? Cant there just be a new name amongst them or do they need to outsource that to a poet or philosopher?

Workable?

https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... -buildings

PizzaSnake wrote: ↑Thu Aug 19, 2021 4:34 pm

Farfromgeneva wrote: ↑Thu Aug 19, 2021 11:36 am

jhu72 wrote: ↑Thu Aug 19, 2021 11:14 am

Farfromgeneva wrote: ↑Thu Aug 19, 2021 10:53 am

jhu72 wrote: ↑Thu Aug 19, 2021 7:16 am A new view of what constitutes life.

Skimmed admittedly but what wrong with calling these other things organic systems and keeping it separate from life? Almost feels like scientists involved here are hitting their own wall and trying to expand a definition to make their work easier. That would be quite common in our work-whats a sport for, screw or well include x games and e games, for example .

I have a big problem when folks want to move the meaning of words or definitions around. I think it shouldn’t be simply held in the hands of a few domain specialists because language extends far beyond their small world (of any type).

... I think this definition is confined to the domain specialists at this time. Even in the domain, there is likely not general acceptance at this time. I think it is more of a concept being investigated.

Gotcha. I am all for exploration but is a redefining necessary? Don’t scientists name new things all the time? Cant there just be a new name amongst them or do they need to outsource that to a poet or philosopher?

Workable?

https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... -buildings

Funny I was just approached by a fairly newly capitalized entity that makes PACE (property assessment clean energy) loans, founder is an old relationship, to inquire if I liked what I was doing now as he needed someone like me for a certain aspect of their business. I probably will demur ultimately, always an honor to be asked or approached, but am boning up on green energy aspects to CRE finance at the moment.

Rain at the summit of Greenland
August 18, 2021

On August 14, 2021, rain was observed at the highest point on the Greenland Ice Sheet for several hours, and air temperatures remained above freezing for about nine hours. This was the third time in less than a decade, and the latest date in the year on record, that the National Science Foundation’s Summit Station had above-freezing temperatures and wet snow. There is no previous report of rainfall at this location.

https://nsidc.org/greenland-today/2021/ ... greenland/

Coming to your town soon? Check your elevation and the surrounding watershed.

"They are among 21 known victims of the historic rain and flash flooding that swept central Tennessee on Saturday, devastating the small city of Waverly, about 60 miles west of Nashville."

"The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) called the torrential rain and flooding “catastrophic.” One observation site recorded 17 inches of rain in 24 hours, blowing past the state’s nearly 14-inch record set in 1982, a meteorologist said. A flash flood watch issued Friday quickly became a “flash flood emergency” Saturday as some people yelled for help from their rooftops while others found themselves trapped in vehicles."

They might want to abandon this site:

https://www.google.com/maps/@36.0989557 ... m2!1e1!1e4

Heads up Chevy Bolt owners. $1B Global recall due to battery fires.

Park outside don't charge > 90%.

old salt wrote: ↑Mon Aug 23, 2021 9:08 am Heads up Chevy Bolt owners. $1B Global recall due to battery fires.

Park outside don't charge > 90%.

https://www.autonews.com/article/201603 ... 24-billion

Don’t sit in front of the steering wheel when you drive.