TR: where did all the water go?

[anutami]

We ventured out a couple weeks ago headed to Lake Powell trying to find solitude. We found the lake so low we couldn’t even access our same spot last year!!
August 2020

August 2020

August 2020


July 2021 same spot we camped last year!!!

You can barely see the water line


We continued out on the mud flat and found a Tacoma on the water line buried to his axles. This is as far as we went. I have had my experience getting buried in mud and unfortunately did not risk it and couldn’t help the poor fellow.


I was unable to reach the shore line but did get some cool TC pics 🙂






We headed over to lone rock campground and joined the masses
It actually wasn’t too bad because the water level is so low there is a lot of room for people to camp





Launching the Watercraft from the shore


In anticipation of some long touring far up lake into some very remote canyons and dangling rope marina being closed I was able to find a nice aftermarket fuel caddy. I am able to store two fives gallon jugs on the back and one 5 gallon jug in the center hatch. Which gives me a range of approximately 150 miles.


This was a father son trip for 6 nights at lone rock 🙂


We did this 30ft cliff jump last year and now it has to be well over 80 feet now!!




LAST YEARS PIC


We had to find some new rocks to leap off


But the main reason we come is for the amazing remote side canyons to explore 🙂


Pirates of the Caribbean video:)





































Even though the lake is at an insane low level we had a blast bonding, truck camping and touring around. Not sure if the lake will continue to drop but boy do we need some rain out here. Hope you enjoyed the pics

[FWC]

Great pictures.

Lake Powell is drying up. The bureau of reclamations expect the water level to drop another 50' this summer, and could drop 75' which would put it only a few feet above dead pool. They have already started draining Flaming Gorge, Blue Mesa and Navajo reservoirs in CO and WY in order to stop Powell going to dead pool. Both Powell and Mead will hit their lowest level ever since they were filled, this year.

How many years of drought do we need in a row to accept that this is the new normal? Maybe we should stop trying to grow alfalfa in the desert.

[Tiger4x4RV]

Great TR, done in the old school style. Thanks for sharing your trip with us.

[valhalla360]

The inverse of 10lb in a 5lb bag...trying to take 10lb out of a 5lb bag, doesn't work so well. Eventually, they will have to back off shipping massive amounts of water and power out of an area that has been a desert long before humans arrived.

Very cool pics. Looks like the trip was a lot of fun.

[smarty]

the new normal

[ferndaleflyer]

Exactly. The water is going to large cities and mega farm operations that continue to grow in spite of the water supply dwindling. One day like mentioned above it will return to a river and the water dependent areas will be gone. Greed will kill the goose that laid the golden egg, the lake.

[schlep1967]

This website Water Education gives a decent explanation of why the levels have dropped in recent years.

We also have to remember these are manmade structures. When the dams were built they served small cities with water by capturing the spring flow and holding it to be available later. Now they are serving many more households with water. People keep moving into areas with limited natural water flow. Regardless of the yearly variable water inflow into those reservoirs, when you get to the point of average water use being higher than the average water inflow into the reservoir, water levels will go down and stay there. Eventually the demand will be so high it will be back to the river it once was with no extra to fill the reservoir. At that point the suburbs will start to fade away because the cities will be getting all of the water. Eventually the desert will win and go back to the inhospitable place it once was.

[zb39]

Great pics, we have so much rain here in west PA there is flooding.

[Grit_dog]

Thanks for posting!
So cool!
Powell is amazing. Now I want to explore it like you guys did.

[Reality_Check]

Wow, on the pictures and what was obviously a fantastic bonding/experience time. Thank you so much.. a completely different view of another place in this awesome nation. Cheers!

[jdc1]

Powell has been like that for two years now. It won't get better anytime soon. I was there last fall, and I was afraid to take the pontoon boat in the slots in fear of hitting a sand bar.

[cptqueeg]

Great TR. Thanks for posting.

[jimh406]

free radical wrote:
Maybe that Global warming is real.

I’m not sure that’s a real cause considering some places in the US are getting too much rain.

[free_radical]

Beautiful place,,Im guesing lack of snow in winter and very litle rain lately must have something to do with low water levels. Maybe that Global warming is real.

[fpoole]

Nice, what a great adventure it was.
Like the Jet Skis, nice..