Scourge of Earth: When Lake Powell Falls Below 3,490 Feet (1,063 Meters), It Will Disrupt the Western Us Electricity System, Impacting Up to Five Million People in Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming

HNewsWire: According to AP News, the megadrought in the United States West is still wreaking havoc, with federal authorities considering limiting water supply downstream on the Colorado River to avoid the closure of a large dam that supplies electricity to millions of people.

Lake Powell fell to 3,525 feet (1,075 meters) this month, the lowest level since the federal government dammed the Colorado River at Glen Canyon (northern Arizona) more than 50 years ago. As a result, Interior Department officials have proposed holding back water at the dam in order to retain the dam's capacity to produce electricity.

Interior Assistant Secretary Tanya Trujillo warned that if Lake Powell dips below 3,490 feet (1,063 meters), it could disrupt the electricity infrastructure in the western United States, possibly impacting up to five million people in Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.

"We're in a crisis," said Jack Schmidt, director of Utah State University's Center for Colorado River Studies. "Health and human safety problems, including hydropower generation, are taking priority."

Researchers have discovered that the US West has been suffering some of the driest circumstances in over 1,200 years, which coincides with the record low water level.

Drought conditions have been worse over the previous decade. Several large reservoirs in California have dried up, forcing people to abandon their boats and forcing hydroelectric facilities to shut owing to a lack of water to turn turbines.

Reservoir levels in California are far lower than they have been in the past (as of April 14).

The US West is facing severe to exceptional drought, according to statistics from the US Drought Monitor.

According to new estimates from federal government meteorologists, drought conditions might worsen significantly more this summer, with a 59 percent risk of La Nia for the Northern Hemisphere. Drier conditions would result as a result of this.