Jonathan Thompson

Editor in Chief

She was about 20 years old when she hit the top of her game — loved by all, her future bright. Then, too much use and abuse led her on a downhill slide, so that in recent years she’s only been a mere shadow of her former self. Now, she may be on her way back up.

No. I’m not talking Britney Spears. I’m talking Lake Powell. Reservoir Powell to her detractors (and those who understand the proper definition of “lake” and “reservoir”). She was so high in 1983 that the Bureau of Reclamation had to essentially flush the lake, sending some 100,000 cubic feet of water each second down the Grand Canyon. Then, in the 90s, things went bad. There was a big drought. Lake Powell started tanking. Where once was lake, only a 100 foot bathtub ring remained. Now, a big winter has inspired news of a dramatic comeback: High snowpack will raise Powell by 50 feet!

So Powell is poised for a comeback. Or not. This rebirth’s likely to be about as successful as Britney’s comeback last fall. Fifty feet on top of currrent levels will still leave the reservoir far below capacity — look for a 60 to 70 foot bathtub ring during this summer’s peak levels. And unless the arid West is soggy this summer, Powell will plummet back to about 50 percent of capacity this fall. And yeah, we may get some flooding here and there, but the Grand Canyon will not relive the torrent of ‘83. Unless the dam breaks, that is.