Lake Powell could fall to its lowest level since it was first filled more than 60 years ago, raising concerns about water supplies and hydroelectric power across the Southwest.

The Guardian reported that some experts have warned that continued declines could push Lake Powell toward “deadpool” status, the point at which water levels fall so low that gravity can no longer carry releases downstream through Glen Canyon Dam.

“What’s unique this year is that there was no recovery at all,” Jack Schmidt, director of Utah State University’s Center for Colorado River Studies, told the outlet.

“What we expect to happen is that Lake Powell will go to unprecedented low conditions sometime this fall,” he said.

Lake Powell, which straddles the Utah-Arizona border, is only about 22% full, or roughly 5.6 million acre-feet, according to U.S. Bureau of Reclamation data.

Unlike 2023, when spring runoff replenished the reservoir after winter declines, water levels barely increased this year following a weak mountain snowpack. Even supplemental releases from Wyoming’s Flaming Gorge Reservoir failed to produce a significant recovery.

“Water management in the Colorado River system is starting to get terribly complicated,” Schmidt said.

The reservoir now sits about 37 feet above the level where Glen Canyon Dam’s hydroelectric turbines begin losing their ability to generate electricity.

The power plant supplies electricity to nearly 6 million homes and businesses.

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Tagged: Climate BACK TO HOMEPAGE