Two Lakes and a Dam?

  

Before I delve into the Western States’ severe water issues, I’d like to present the most recent global climate bad news that has provoked the underlying reality. “Last month was the hottest August on record globally, the third straight month in a row to set such a record following the hottest ever June and July, the European Union's Copernicus climate change panel said on Wednesday [9/6]… August is estimated to have been around 1.5 degrees Celsius hotter than the pre-industrial average for the 1850-1900 period. Pursuing efforts to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius is a central pledge of the Paris international climate change agreement adopted by 196 countries in 2015.” Reuters, September 6th.

And this biggie: “China’s government has now approved the building of more new coal-fired power plants than are currently operating in the United States… Also on August 29, Rystad Energy released a new report which finds the ‘reinvestment rate among a group of 18 public shale companies hit 72 per cent in Q2 2023, the highest since Q2 2020,’ as US shale producers strive to raise production to meet rising demand.” Daily Telegraph, September 6th.

As I watched the August 23rd GOP presidential election debate, the views on addressing climate change ranged from adopting a more commercially reasonable timeline, producing oil and gas to meet demand, to labeling the climate change agenda a “hoax.” That’s the backdrop of what has devolved into a litany of climate change mega-disasters (10 billion dollar-plus loss climate events in the United States this year as of August 31st) and led to a pending water shortage challenges that could make much of the Southwest uninhabitable within the lifetime of many Americans. Let’s look at one of those water realities for the region.

There are currently two major dams and resulting lakes on the Colorado River in Arizona: Hoover Dam and Lake Mead, above left, and Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell above right. Hydrologists do not foresee any climatic scenario, even among the rainiest possible storm season, where either lake would ever reach 50% capacity. Currently, Lake Mead is at 34% and Lake Powell 38% of capacity. And we know that, based on a 1922 accord, seven Western states rely in significant part on waters from that entire Colorado River basin. The prognosis for a fully-restored Colorado River flow is equally grim. If that flow were increased, many experts believe, at least that the usable water would likewise increase. Bottom line, Lakes Mead and Powell were created as major reservoirs… and those dams were intended as major power generators.

As water levels in both lakes have fallen, the ability to maintain sufficient water movement to power the turbines to reasonable power levels is fading as well. Could that water level drop to the level that there is no power being produced? Unfortunately, the answer is “yes.” So what would happen if effectively the water in Lake Powell could be added to the water in Lake Mead… if the Glen Canyon Dam (which does generate electrical power) could be either removed or circumvented? Electrical power could be maximized at Hoover Dam, and Lake Mead would be at a more reasonably sustainable capacity. With “water” becoming the new, precious liquid commodity, perhaps ultimately eclipsing oil, all eyes are on the quest for water solutions in the parched West. Maybe it would not even be two lakes and one dam… maybe the Colorado River solution would be just one dam and one lake.

Writing for the September 5th Los Angeles Times, Ian James addresses a rising chorus with this potential “solution”: “Fresh calls to drain Lake Powell, sometimes referred to as the ‘One-Dam Solution ‘ or ‘Fill Mead First ,’ have emerged as federal dam managers begin to consider new rules for dealing with water shortages after 2026 — a process that has sparked tensions between states and water agencies over where the brunt of reductions should fall.

“‘I think they see the writing on the wall. Farmers understand the future probably better than many others right now, all across the West. And they know that issues of scarcity are only going to become more incendiary,’ said Kyle Roerink, executive director of the Great Basin Water Network, one of the environmental groups calling for the draining of Lake Powell… ‘I think they know that we’re not going to have the water to fill two giant storage pools anymore,’ Roerink said.

“The concern is that if federal officials continue focusing on propping up reservoir levels at Lake Powell to produce hydropower, reduced releases from the dam could mean less water for [California’s] Imperial Valley growers, Roerink said. Having water stored farther downstream would be like an insurance policy for drier times, he said, making sure the area’s farms continue to have access to water even at low reservoir levels…

“The [California mega-farm owners, the Abatti brothers’ letter to the federal Bureau of Reclamation] was one of many that federal officials received recently as part of their consideration of new rules. In the letter, which the Abattis signed together with water resources engineer Craig Morgan, they pointed out that under the 1922 Colorado River Compact, the foundational agreement that divided the river, using water for hydropower has a lower priority than agricultural water use.

“They also emphasized that the agreement requires the four states in the Upper Basin — Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico — to deliver an annual average of 7.5 million acre-feet per year to the Lower Basin states of California, Arizona and Nevada (over any 10-year period)… ‘If they’re going to continue to meet their obligations downstream, it just doesn’t make sense to keep both reservoirs full,’ Morgan said. ‘They need to be able to deliver the water to meet the commitments under the compact.’… Morgan and the Abattis noted that a significant amount of water evaporates from Lake Powell, and that evaporation would be reduced by storing water in a single reservoir. They urged the federal government to consider retrofitting the dam to ensure enough water can pass downstream.” The ultimate choices have yet to be made.

With hurricanes, wildfires, catastrophic drought countered with uncontrolled flooding elsewhere, this water/electrical power generating issue can be lost in the overall American consciousness. But make no mistake: this litany of escalating horribles is the gift Boomers and X-ers have designed for their children and future generations. While China is returning to the role of a major greenhouse gas emitter, that cannot mean that the United States should throw its hands up and continue to favor money over dealing directly with the increasing misery of climate change.

I’m Peter Dekom, and that dealing with irrefutable evidence of the growing cost and misery of climate change related pain simply cannot be ignored because dealing with it would be inconvenient to many incumbent mega-corporate interests.