Powell Reservoir is evaporating behind the buttress of Glen Canyon Dam despite the best laid plans of men (and women) of the Bureau of Reclamation and the ignorant perseverance of those who insist on storing water in an open container in this arid region.
Rich Ingebretsen, president and founder of the Glen Canyon Institute, in a recent presentation to the Colorado River Workshop held at Western State College in Gunnison, CO, pointed out that more than 40 million acre-feet had already been lost in this way. The Bureau of Reclamation, with seemingly no ax to grind (except to keep its dam), has estimated that Powell Reservoir will likely be empty 15% of the time.
Water questions are volatile issues in the Southwest, closely tied to political sentiment and the veracity of global warming. As referenced in the May 24th edition of The Daily Sentinal, Patricia Mulroy, general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, claimed she got "heart cramps" when talking about tearing down Glen Canyon Dam. In contrast to the Bureau of Reclamation, she does have an ax to grind, but I'd recommend atenolol for the cramps and some enlightenment re water storage.
It's an environment where a forgotten cup of coffee will evaporate in a week.
And...the governors of the Great Lakes states have suddenly gotten wise and effectively put an end to any plans to implement a pipeline to Arizona or any other distant state.
Interesting perspective on Glen Canyon Dam. How wasteful to allow the water in Powell Reservoir to disappear simply through evaporation .
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