Flaming Gorge Reservoir Floods for Power

0:00It's April 22nd. This is Canada News Today, powered by AI. Western water managers are unleashing massive floods from Flamingorge Reservoir this spring to prop up Lake Powell and keep hydropower flowing to. 350,000 homes across the region. After the driest winter on record, they're planning to release up to a third of the reservoirs water more than the record surge back in 20. 22. Just to keep the turbine spinning at Glen Canyon Dam. This move comes as Lake Powell sits at just 23% capacity, barely above the critical level needed for power generation without risking. Damage. Officials aim to hold back extra water there, but it means Flamingorge could drop 27 feet by next year, hitting places like Buckboard. Marina hard, with lower launches and longer walks to the water. Local folks like Marina owners are worried about the hit to their businesses, while utility serving rural co-ops in low-income areas brace for trouble. If hydropower dips, though by pricier power from the market, leading to rate hikes like

1:04the 13% jump, one Utah utility just. Solstreading families already pinched by drought costs. Downstream, lake-mead faces even lower levels, cutting Hoover Dam's output by 40%, and warmer releases could spread invasive smallmouth. Bass, threatening native fish in the Grand Canyon. Traces are timing some flows to help green river fish, but Flamingorge will still fall from 83% full to 59%. In the end, this is a short-term fix in a quarter-century mega-drout fueled by climate change, buying time for power, but underscoring the tough. This is ahead as wet weather stays unpredictable.