ARTHUR H. ROTSTEIN Associated Press writer | Posted: Wednesday, August 17, 2005 12:00 am
TUCSON, Ariz. - Drought caused water levels at Lake Powell and Lake Mead to plunge dramatically while sending the cost of facilities soaring to compensate.
The National Park Service says it has spent about $20 million to alter utilities, ramps, sewage facilities and other improvements on the two lakes during three years of declining water levels. One concessionaire shelled out about $2 million to move a large marina 12 miles.
The years of drought - finally eased this year - made Lake Mead shallower and smaller.
"Whenever we lose a foot in elevation, we can lose between 3 and 10 feet horizontally," said Gary Warshefski, deputy superintendent at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. "As you lose 80 feet, we could gain as much as three-quarters of a mile (of ground) in terms of horizontal area."
At times in the spring of 2002, he said, the lake lost a foot a week, "significant and costly to try to mitigate," Warshefski said. It forced the Park Service to experiment with concrete planks and corrugated metal extensions to try to keep boat launch ramps open.
The drop played havoc with several of the lake's eight boat ramps. At the Boulder Beach area, permanent public restrooms are near shore when the lake is at capacity; now, people must walk at least half a mile to reach them, he said.
The plunging water level and resulting white line on surrounding cliffs, like a bathtub ring, tended to discourage visits.
Boat ramps had to be closed at two locations, Warshefski said.
Similar situations occurred on Lake Powell before it rose more than 50 feet this year because of a wet winter.
Last week the lake reached an elevation of 3,605 feet - 95 feet below capacity, said Marianne Karraker, acting public information officer for the lake. That level put it at 52 percent of storage capacity, compared to 33 percent of capacity when it dropped to its low elevation of 3,555 feet on April 8.
But the earlier plunging water levels affected power, sewer and water lines for the facilities at Lake Powell's four marinas, and when water levels return, everything needs to move again.
"When the water level goes down, you're looking at extending lines, moving lines, and one big issue has to do with pumping sewage," Karraker said.
"When the water goes down, marinas have to be pushed out to buoy fields, and they have to be repositioned. So there are day-to-day struggles. When water comes back up, everything has to be repositioned."
Lake Powell has spent nearly $8 million since 2002 to ensure access to the lake.
Federal officials aren't the only ones that have had to shell out big money to keep access to the lake waters.
Gail and John Kaiser spent $2 million in 2002 to move their 635-slip marina on Lake Mead from Las Vegas Bay to Hemenway Bay, with some 500 boats still in their slips. Her family has run the marina, which includes fuel docks, a store, pumpout stations and a restaurant, since 1957.
For now, federal officials and concessionaires say they are pleased that winter precipitation has helped reverse the falling water trend.
But Warshefski said Lake Mead could still go lower, meaning the loss of more access points.
Calville Bay will likely become a problem if water levels go lower, he said.
"It's going to become a cliff," he said, "and you can't launch a boat from a cliff."