Lake Powell drought- More scenery, less water

BULLFROG, Utah -- Lake Powell is barely half-full, thanks to a multiyear drought. Some people are saying the reservoir may never refill naturally and should be drained to reveal the glory of Glen Canyon. But for others, the lake is proving its value, banking scarce water for dry years.

Either way, the effects of low water are everywhere, from the bathtub rings on canyon walls to Hite Marina, left high and dry and shut down in 2003.

Here at Bullfrog, the boat launch resembles a tilted airport runway -- a concrete slab more than a quarter-mile long.

It had to be extended twice, in 2003 and 2004, by a combined 660 feet, to reach its current 1,568-foot length. The launch will go out of business if the water drops another 29 feet, officials say.

The shrinking waters also force boaters into longer and sometimes more dangerous routes through the sinewy reservoir. The usual shortcuts are no longer reliable or safe, forcing more traffic in deeper channels where the wakes of large vessels can swamp smaller boats.

That happened to four boats within two hours on the Fourth of July in the "Maytag washing machine" of one channel, where waves bounce off canyon walls, said Uplake District Ranger Steve Luckesen of the National Park Service.

For now, what boaters lose in watery expanse they gain in exposed canyons and sandbars.

"Scenery-wise, it's better, and you have more beaches for camping," said Terry Bell, an interpretive ranger for the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.

Whether Lake Powell is shrinking to the point it may never recover could be apparent only in hindsight. It's difficult for experts to project even seasonal fluctuations for the largest reservoir on the Colorado River basin, which is a source of water for 25 million people and irrigation for millions of acres from Colorado to California.

For more information about Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, visit www.nps.gov/glca.