State of Emergency at Lake Powell: Fears of Hydroelectric, Water Shutoffs Increasing

The Colorado River wraps around Horseshoe Bend in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in a file photo. Rhona Wise /AFP/Getty Images

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which manages Western states’ water and power systems, said it recently released emergency water reserves from reservoirs upstream of Lake Powell—the second-largest reservoir in the United States.

The agency’s regional director, Wayne Pullan, said that emergency releases from the Flaming Gorge Reservoir will bolster Lake Powell’s water levels so Glen Canyon Dam can continue to generate power.