Lake Powell
| Lake Powell Glen Canyon Dam |
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| Coordinates | 36 ° 56 ′ 0 ″ N , 111 ° 29 ′ 0 ″ W | ||||||||
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| Data on the reservoir | |||||||||
| Altitude (at congestion destination ) | 1127.8 m | ||||||||
| Water surface | 653 km² | ||||||||
| Reservoir length | 299 km | ||||||||
| Reservoir width | 40 km | ||||||||
| Maximum depth | 170 m | ||||||||
| For information on the dam, see Glen Canyon Dam | |||||||||
The Lake Powell is a reservoir in the United States of America and is located approximately 350 km northeast of Las Vegas in the border area of Utah and Arizona .
It was created in the mid-1960s by damming the Colorado on the east side of the Grand Canyon and has developed into a popular holiday destination due to the wide range of leisure activities around the lake and numerous attractions in the surrounding area. Years with little precipitation and increased water abstraction have caused the lake's water level to fall steadily for years.
history
With the completion of the Glen Canyon Dam , the Glen Canyon was flooded by the Colorado from March 13, 1963 and dammed up to Lake Powell until June 22, 1980. It was named after the Civil War veteran Major John Wesley Powell , who explored Glen Canyon with eight other men in August 1869. Today the lake is the second largest reservoir in the United States after Lake Mead (Nevada / Arizona). At the maximum water level it has a length of around 300 km, is 171 m deep at the dam and covers an area of 653 km² (at sea level of 3700 feet - 1127.76 m). With around 33.3 billion m³ (= 33.3 km³) of water, Lake Powell then floods 96 canyons and extends far into the mouths of the Escalante River coming from the northwest and the San Juan River coming from the east . The lake's coastline is 3,153 km (1960 miles) longer than the entire west coast of the United States.
In 1972 the American Congress decided to establish the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area , which covers approximately 5058 km² and of which the reservoir itself only takes up 13%. The National Recreation Area is part of the National Park System and is bordered by Canyonlands to the northeast and the Grand Canyon National Park to the south .
After six years of low precipitation and intensive water abstraction (including from Las Vegas), the level sank by around 45 m by summer 2005, which corresponds to around two thirds of the original water volume. In September 2012 (according to information in the dam visitor center) the amount of water sank to only 61%, the lake was last full in 2001. The decline has resulted in wide beaches and the ends of the outer canyons have dried up. The Rainbow Bridge is only accessible by a long walk from the shore, and rock formations have emerged from the water that have not been seen for 30 years.
Infrastructure
The only town on Lake Powell is Page (Arizona) at the southern end of the lake, which forms the tourist hub for trips to the Grand Canyon , Monument Valley and numerous national parks and monuments in southern Utah in the otherwise little developed region with its numerous accommodations . In addition to the marinas Bullfrog and Hells Crossing (Highway 276), the small town offers one of the few paved accesses to the lake, while the marina Hite (Highway 95) had to be closed after a significant decline in water levels. With the Antelope Point Marina , another marina was opened in 2004 on the adjacent area of the Navajo Nation Reservation .
The ports of Bullfrog and Hells Crossing are connected by a ferry route, while the most popular sight on the lake, the Rainbow Bridge , can be reached by excursion boats from Wahweap . This largest natural arch bridge in the world is a sanctuary for the Navajo and is difficult to access by land.
Every year over three million visitors take advantage of the sunny, dry climate around Lake Powell.
photos
When the water level is low
View of the dam when the water level is low
Lake Powell marina in October
Lake Powell with Glen Canyon Dam
Lake Powell Map
