SALT LAKE CITY — While much has been made about the massive snowpack building in the mountains above Utah's most populated areas, there are still concerns over the Colorado River that feeds into Lake Powell.
The vast Colorado River system flows through Utah, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico, and its water is what what the majority of Utahns rely on.
Lake Powell water levels are the upper Colorado River's benchmark and it's lower than it's ever been at 3,521 feet. Another 31 more feet and the Glen Canyon Dam may stop generating power.
Utah's snowpack is most definitely great at 160% of the median snow water equivalent for this time of year. The state's state's biggest contribution to the Colorado system flows out of the Uinta mountains which is currently at a healthy 148% of median. But Utah syphons a lot of that water off before it gets anywhere near Lake Powell, taking 23% of our water from a supply that would have gone to the Colorado.
Wyoming's Wind rivers provide a lot of water, but that region hasn't had as robust a winter as Utah has seen as their water basins are holding just over the median in some cases.
Colorado's Rockies are the headwaters and the largest source of water to the river. The Yampa and White rivers flow from northern Colorado into the Green River in Utah and they sit at a health 136% of median.
The Colorado River itself flows from Rocky Mountain National Park with basins near its headwaters holding 122% of their median. Smaller systems like the Dolores and San Juan rivers in southern Colorado have 140 percent of their median snow water equivalent.
It's all positive numbers in terms of a healthy water year, but the waters feeding into Utah's biggest reservoir and supporting 40 million people downstream are not bursting at the seams like the waters in the major basins to which Utahns focus the most attention.
In the end, Lake Powell may see a boost, but not enough to turn its fortunes around in one season.
