Lake Powell was established in 1963 when the Glen Canyon Dam began holding back Colorado River water in northern Arizona.
The decision was controversial at the time, as many felt the federal government was flooding a national park-style treasure in Glen Canyon.
It’s one of the largest reservoirs in the country and a major boating destination, attracting millions of visitors each year.
Two years ago, Lake Powell eclipsed record low water levels due to the historic drought in the West. Two strong winter snowpacks have buoyed the reservoir to around 40% of its overall capacity.
Zak Podmore, author of the new book, “Life After Dead Pool,” says the potential for another decline poses serious risks.
“We were getting dangerously close to a situation where hydropower would stop and the releases from the Glen Canyon Dam into the Grand Canyon that feed Lake Mead, and the 27 million people who get Colorado River water downstream from the Glen Canyon Dam could have been impacted,” Podmore said.
Cities including Las Vegas, Phoenix and Los Angeles all rely on Colorado River water in some form.
Despite all the negatives, Podmore says his work examines the situation as a positive impact of climate change.
“Lake Powell got so low because of climate change and overuse of water in the Colorado River Basin, but the consequence of that was that a lot of Glen Canyon, this magnificent place that people mourned the loss of in the 1960s and ‘70s, started to re-emerge," he said. "There are slot canyons that have come out of the water that you can’t tell were drowned by the reservoir for decades.”
Podmore said scientists have also observed a remarkable ecological recovery from native plant species formerly submerged in Lake Powell.
In Glen Canyon’s Rock Creek Bay, the Double Arch, an iconic geological feature made of Navajo sandstone dating as far back as the Triassic or Jurassic period, recently collapsed. Podmore says it’s a primary example of how Lake Powell has intruded on the natural landscape.
“It almost certainly wouldn’t have collapsed as soon as it did if it weren’t for Lake Powell,” he said. “If Glen Canyon Dam had never been built, the arch wouldn’t have been inundated, which weakens the sandstone. And as water levels have fluctuated, when the arch is at reservoir level, waves from wakes from passing boats slam into that arch and weaken it further.”
Podmore’s book, “Life After Dead Pool,” is available Aug. 27.
