Lake Powell rises from September low but remains depleted
A federal park notice last updated November 5 described contrasting launch-ramp restrictions and warned that changing lake levels could affect services.
The numbers
- Lake Powell rise from a mid-September low, as Hoerling told AP
- >20 feet
- Approximate Lake Powell fullness reported by AP
- just over a quarter full
Lake Powell rose more than 20 feet from a mid-September low, climate scientist Martin Hoerling told The Associated Press, which reported on November 8 that the lake remained just over a quarter full.
Hoerling is a hydrologist at the University of Colorado Boulder. In its report, AP described late-October and early-November storm runoff bringing relief to depleted Southwest water supplies after weak snow the previous winter provided little meltwater to recharge regional water bodies in spring and summer, usually their strongest recharge period. Lake Powell lies along the Arizona–Utah border.
A National Park Service notice last updated November 5 listed the Wahweap Launch Ramp as closed to motorized vessels. The same notice listed the Stateline Auxiliary Ramp as open to motorized vessels only.
The agency said changing lake levels could affect available services and that the listed information and dates were subject to change. Its notice also said Rainbow Bridge docks did not reach land at the lake levels described in that notice.
What we don't know yet
- How durable will the reported rise in Lake Powell be?
- How have the listed ramp and dock conditions changed since the park notice was last updated?
Timeline
The NPS seasonal notice was marked last updated; it listed differing ramp restrictions and cautioned that information could change.
AP reported Hoerling’s account of the rise from a mid-September low and the lake’s remaining depletion.