25 June 2011 Drought Update - half-way back

Lake Powell is half-way back - at elevation 3646+, 68.47% of capacity, and 56.4' below full pool (on April 23, 1999, the lake stood at 5' below full pool, on April 8, 2005, down 142').  The last time Lake Powell was within 2" of this elevation was in 2002, early on in the drought.  But even more exciting is that Hite Marina is open for business for the first time in 9 years after closing in 2002.  Also that the snowpack peaked this spring at over 500% - the highest in years.  So, for the first time, we have included the Upper Colorado River Basin showpack graph.

Because Lake Mead's water level depends on Lake Powell's outflows, and with the inclusion of the snowpack graph, the update is presented as a single page, replacing separate pages for each lake.  The drought is easing but the future is still uncertain - Lake Powell is only half-way back and still has a long way to go.  If the lakes continue to improve - to the point that all marinas are back in business - these pages will then become historical data and updates will end.