Lake Powell Rises 20 Feet As Floods Recharge Depleted Southwest Reservoirs

Water levels in the western United States have surged following a series of intense storms that battered the region in late October and early November. The precipitation has reversed some of the damage caused by a yearslong megadrought, which had pushed reservoirs to historic lows.

Lake Powell, the second-largest reservoir in the nation, provides a stark measure of this recovery. The lake rose more than 20 feet from its mid-September low point. This increase far exceeds the gains typically seen from spring snowmelt, according to Martin Hoerling, a climate scientist and hydrologist at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Despite the rise, the lake remains just over a quarter full, and 15 of its 17 boat launches were unusable as of Friday.

The recent weather event is part of a larger atmospheric shift. El Niño, a climate pattern that intensifies heavy rainfall, is currently active. Experts expect its effects to persist for several more months, which could continue to boost water supplies in lakes, aquifers, and snowpack across the West.

Local communities have seen immediate benefits from the increased water volume. In Pagosa Springs, Colorado, more than 10,000 residents had been under water restrictions before the storms arrived in October. Town manager David Harris noted that restaurants were previously advised to serve water only upon request. Those restrictions have now been lifted following the receipt of approximately 7 inches of rain.

"While the storm was destructive, I think there is a silver lining," Harris said. "You’re getting a good start to the winter snowpack in the higher elevations."

Similar improvements are visible in Arizona. Upper Lake Mary, which supplies up to 40% of Flagstaff’s water, has received more than 3 billion gallons of water since early October. Brian Huntzinger, the water production manager for Flagstaff, stated that the recent storms added the equivalent of more than two years of water to the town's surface supply. This influx provides a buffer for systems that rely heavily on underground aquifers.

"It’s just a great, great thing to see," Huntzinger said. "We might be overflowing at this rate before we see any snow fly."

In central Arizona, heavy floodwaters forced the release of water from two nearly full dams into the Verde River. Bo Svoma, principal meteorologist at the Salt River Project, explained that this action was necessary to manage the flow from streams feeding the river in the metro Phoenix area. The project manages reservoirs on both the Salt and Verde rivers.

Although local water levels are rising, federal management of the Colorado River basin is unlikely to change immediately. Jack Schmidt, a professor at Utah State University who studies the river, noted that the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation typically waits until April, when snowpack peaks, before adjusting water releases. Mary Carlson, a spokesperson for the bureau, acknowledged the improved conditions but added that "considerable uncertainty remains."

Under the current federal plan, California, Nevada, and Arizona will collectively reduce water use by 1.25 million acre-feet annually over the next two years. This volume is equivalent to filling over 600,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Nevada and Arizona are currently challenging this plan in court. Meanwhile, some Arizona cities have agreed to fund preliminary work to expand a dam on the Verde River to capture future storm runoff.

"We need to figure out how to be resilient in a drier future. And we're not quite there yet," Hoerling said.