Major Lake Powell Collapse | Lake Powell Update - August 2024

Welcome to the Lake Powell and Glen Canyon Dam update for August 2024. In this episode of timeBomb, we dive into the latest water level statistics, where Lake Powell currently stands at 3582 feet 3 inches above mean sea level, a decrease of over 4 feet since our last update. We'll analyze how this water elevation compares to critical benchmarks like the minimum power pool and full pool elevation.

This week's big story is the unfortunate collapse of the iconic Double Arch monument at Lake Powell. We'll explore what caused this natural wonder to crumble and its implications for the area.

We'll also revisit last month's water level prediction contest between me and the Bureau of Reclamation. Spoiler alert: I was right this time!

Our deep dive into the data continues with detailed charts showing Lake Powell's water level trends, inflows, and outflows for the 2024 water year. We'll examine how recent trends stack up against historical averages and discuss the impact of the last two winter seasons.

Finally, I provide an update on the Charles Hall Ferry, which has been temporarily out of service due to a mechanical issue. If you're planning a visit, be sure to check the latest status on the Department of Transportation website—link is in the description.

Thanks for watching! If you found this update helpful, please like the video, leave a comment, and consider subscribing for more updates. Your support means a lot!

#lakepowell #glencanyon #watercrisis #naturaldisaster

Chapters:
00:00 Welcome to timeBomb
01:02 The Challenge
02:08 Lake Powell Stats
06:22 Double-arch Collapse
08:35 Charles Hall Ferry

[sapincher]

unsubscribed due to increasing levels of clickbait alarmist titles. erosion happened, not "major lake powell collapse"

[williamscoggin]

I went there in 2012, very cool place!
I think everyone should go to lake Powell at least once in their life.

[andrewmackaybryan]

Good grief - you didn't even publish an actual prediction. The Bureau was 0.03% off on its calculation. Hardly qualifies as incredibly inaccurate as you describe. Leave the hyperbole in the drawer,

[HardRockMaster]

I enjoy the looking at the scenery. PLEASE STOP DARKENING THE BACKGROUND IMAGES!

[Andy-vtsl]

Why is the graphic at 00:22 not to scale? The way it’s drawn makes it seem the water level is lower than it is. Full pool minus minimum power pool is 210’, and the lake is 92’ above minimum power pool, or just shy of half that difference. Yet, the illustration seems to show that the current water level is far less than half the difference between full pool and minimum power pool.

[johnziggykelleher]

Hello Time, thanks for the clear graphs. Do you think politics play a part in the level predictions ? Is the Navaho sandstone shots from upper Antelope canyon. If so, do is it not mention that for a reason?

[thoselog]

Thanks for all the work you put into these videos!

[Jean.A.squirrel]

Your videos are informative. My daughter and family literally visited and did the trail at the double arch just 2 weeks prior. 😳

[thomasmaughan]

"Major Lake Powell Collapse"
But the Minor Lake Powell is okay.

[danlowe]

From National Geographic staff writer Walter Edwards:

Walter Edwards had last visited Glen Canyon in June 1962, one final summer to see it in a way that would soon be lost for good.

When he returned, it was June 1966. By then, the entire canyon had already been transformed by the new lake, which was still barely three years old and on a steady rise. That June the surface had reached a new high point at 3545, even though it had been a somewhat poor winter snowpack, which meant the lake was already peaking after the spring runoff. It was still not clear when Lake Powell would fill completely, although many remained hopeful it would reach full pool by the early 1970s. Maps of the lake at that time had already been published showing what “full pool” would look like, an exciting prospect still years away. Even so, the rough outline of the lake had already been achieved in just those three short years. It might be surprising to some that the surface area of Lake Powell was larger in 1966 than it is today in 2021, even though the lake is now nearly 15 feet higher. It’s all due to the enormous silt deposits where the rivers meet the lake that have occurred in the 55 years since then.

The next stop was Rainbow Bridge. It was unchanged since 1962, a relief to the author, and possibly an opportunity. “Water backing up Bridge Creek was now only a mile from Rainbow Bridge, and the lake will ultimately form a reflecting pool 46 feet deep beneath the arch.” He had to admit that reaching it by boat was much easier than the five-mile hike of the past. Still, he was vaguely disturbed by the presence of brand-new Rainbow Bridge Marina, lodged against the steep left-hand wall on the way into Forbidding Canyon. He marveled at the fact that maintenance personnel and a park ranger actually lived in small houses built on the floating platform!

It was here he made the first mention of the white “bathtub ring” on the lake, which then barely existed, since the lake was still on the rise. The lake hit an all-time high of 3545.68 on June 10, before beginning a slow slide that would last until the following spring, when it would bottom out at 3502. The trip took place at the very outset of that slide.

[larryloo]

Could you do a video on the Great salt lake sometime? I live very close to it and I am concerned because of the population explosion the heat and the drought.

[michaelmacgeorge]

The chunk was the size of a Volkswagen. Which one? How many elephants did it weigh?

[danlowe]

The Park Service stated that 'changing water levels and erosion from wave action likely contributed to the collapse.' The Park Service does understand that they added over 500 feet of water to the area in the 1960s, right?

[okboomer]

What cities will be destroyed when the dam breaks?

[larryulrich]

The measurements can be accurate but the graph seems to not be visually that is

[gordybishop]

Always the alarmist in the worst sense.

[Starship]

Are you voting Democrat or republican. Keep the names out of it. We only have 2 choices. Are you happy with the present choice if not only 1 other choice. Do you feel richer or poorer?

[mustangracer]

DON'T USE FAKE LIE HEADLINES TO GET CLICKS!!!...

[jw]

Nature has ups and downs. Get over it.

[droldsw]

What's your recommendations for NASA to return the astronauts in the spaceship stuck at the INSS?