"John Wentworth" wrote in message
...
I think people may over-react to a description of "low water" on Lake
Powell. There's hundreds of feet of water through most of the canyon
behind
the dam. Exploring the back canyons may be limited during low water, but
please don't think this is a 20' deep pond that turns to a mudflat during
a
dry season. Plus, didn't the Colorado mountains get a good snowpack this
winter?

Yes, there is plenty of water in both Mead and Powell once you're on the
lake, but that's not the central issue for people trailering in. With Mead
currently down 89 feet, and Powell down 114 feet, the real concern for
trailer boaters is the condition of the launch ramps. It's been many years
(decades) since these lakes have been down this low, and the Park Service
can only improve the portion of the ramps that are exposed. That leaves the
condition of the portion of the ramps below the waterline very questionable.
Not a problem for smaller boats, but might be problematic for larger
trailerables.

The future water levels of these lakes is dependent on the snowpack in the
watershed. We are in the 9th year of a drought cycle. This year's snowpack
is no better than average, as I understand. Major hydrologic cycles can run
20-30 years in this part of the world, so we could be in for even more
ugliness. It could very well be that the desert southwest will be forced to
make some very hard choices in the near to intermediate future. Agriculture
will take the first bullet. The fact is, the Colorado River is already
over-committed, and we are still experiencing significant population growth
in the area. Bureau of Reclamation is not predicting Mead or Powell to rise
any time soon. Very unfortunate.