Because of the drought, not only is Lake Powell's water level dropping, but its entire capacity is also dwindling.
According to a new analysis, Lake Powell, the US's second-largest man-made reservoir, has lost roughly 7% of its potential storage capacity since Glen Canyon Dam was erected in 1963. Between 1963 and 2018, Lake Powell lost an average annual storage capacity of around 33,270 acre-feet, or 11 billion gallons, due to a multiyear drought, according to a report by the US Geological Survey and the Bureau of Reclamation. That's enough water to fill the National Mall's Reflecting Pool 1,600 times. According to the report, silt streaming in from the Colorado and San Juan rivers is reducing the reservoir's capacity. These sediments settle near the reservoir's bottom, reducing the total amount of water the reservoir can contain. According to data from the Bureau of Reclamation, Lake Powell was roughly 25% full as of Monday. It's bad news for a region already suffering from severe water shortages and wildfires as a result of the drought. Drought scientists from the Nation...