Accuweather : “Lake Powell Waters to be Highest since 2002”

8 Responses to Accuweather : “Lake Powell Waters to be Highest since 2002”

1. GregO says:

   June 26, 2011 at 3:18 pm

   There is still lots of snow to be melted in the Northwest:

   http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2011/06/olympic-snowpack-is-39100-percent-of.html

   I can’t help but wonder how much of that will end up in Lake Powell.

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   • Grumpy Grampy ;) says:

     June 26, 2011 at 4:34 pm

     They are talking about the Pacific North West so none of the water they are talking about will reach Lake Powell which gets its water from the Rockies.

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     • stevengoddard says:

       June 26, 2011 at 4:50 pm

       Some of the snow from Idaho drains into the Green River, which runs into the Colorado above Lake Powell

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     • Grumpy Grampy ;) says:

       June 26, 2011 at 5:16 pm

       From Wiki: Green River
       It rises in western Wyoming, in northern Sublette County, on the western side of the Continental Divide in the Bridger-Teton National Forest in the Wind River Range. It flows south through Sublette County and western Wyoming in an area known as the Upper Green River Valley, then southwest and is joined by the Big Sandy River in western Sweetwater County. At the town of La Barge, it flows into Fontenelle Reservoir, formed by Fontenelle Dam. Below there, it flows through open sage covered rolling prairie where it is crossed by the Oregon, California and Mormon emigration trails and then further south until it flows past the town of Green River and into the Flaming Gorge Reservoir in Southwestern Wyoming, formed by the Flaming Gorge Dam in northeastern Utah. Prior to the creation of the reservoir, the Blacks Fork joined the Green River south of Green River, today the mouth of Blacks Fork is submerged by the rese

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     • GregO says:

       June 26, 2011 at 10:52 pm

       Guys,

       Thanks for setting me straight. Do you or any of the geologists that I know must check this site have an informed opinion on how the increased snow-melt this year will affect aquifers specifically aquifers in the southwest? I am not versed at all in geology but I read from all the alarmists that the aquifers are being depleted/destroyed by evil mankind (of course man-made global warming is to blame) and just wonder how said aquifers are recharged. It just seems to me that if reservoirs are filling from this particular year of heavy precipitation that somehow some of that water will find its way underground to the aquifers. How the heck does that work?

       Yes I am working on educating myself but that takes time when you are a busy guy like me running a small company. Thanks in advance.

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       • stevengoddard says:

         June 26, 2011 at 10:59 pm

         The southwest was dry this winter, so there won’t be any aquifer recharging. The Colorado River runs along the edge of Arizona and won’t have any significant impact on Aquifers of interest.
2. GregO says:

   June 27, 2011 at 12:46 am

   Steven,

   Thanks! So aquifer recharge in Az is a function of rainfall across Az, not Colorado river water. Interesting and thanks again.

   Reply
   • stevengoddard says:

     June 27, 2011 at 12:49 am

     If the Colorado flowed through an alluvial valley, like Phoenix, it would recharge the water table. However, the particulars of the geography make it so that it doesn’t have much of an impact.

     Reply