Human Impact on the Earth: Lake Powell

Lake Powell is a reservoir on the border of Utah and Arizona, formed from the Colorado River by the Glen Canyon Dam. Severe drought conditions and unsustainable withdrawals have lowered the levels of Lake Powell to about 42 percent of its capacity. The reservoir provides water for millions of people across several western states. The U.S. Department of the Interior forecasts similar levels for next year, with an unpredictable impact from snowpack accumulation, which was very low this year. Ahead of the United Nations Climate Conference in Paris this December, Reuters will be releasing a series of stories, called "Earthprints," focusing on the ability of humans to impact the landscape of the planet. Today's story on Lake Powell is the first in a weekly series, which will continue until December.

Read more
Hints: View this page full screen. Skip to the next and previous photo by typing j/k or ←/→.

Most Recent

  • China Daily via Reuters
    • In Focus
    • June 11, 2021
    • 35 Photos

    Photos of the Week: Jovian Moon, Sunrise Piper, Sea Snot

    An optical illusion at the Eiffel Tower, a presidential election in Peru, a giant sinkhole in Mexico, a sunrise annular eclipse seen in New York City, a platypus health check in Australia, and much more

  • Justin Sullivan / Getty
    • In Focus
    • June 10, 2021
    • 26 Photos

    Photos: California’s Growing Drought Disaster

    Two years of extremely dry weather have driven the levels of California’s reservoirs to near-record lows, and residents, farmers, and fire crews are preparing for a long, dry summer.

  • Chris McGrath / Getty
    • In Focus
    • June 7, 2021
    • 16 Photos

    Drought and Sinkholes Threaten Farmers in Turkey

    Chris McGrath, a photographer with Getty Images, recently spent time in Turkey’s Konya province, where extreme drought conditions have been taking a heavy toll on farmers and the land.

  • Brendon Thorne / Getty
    • In Focus
    • June 4, 2021
    • 35 Photos

    Photos of the Week: Ice Children, Caged Cat, Tango Protest

    Memorial Day remembrances in the U.S., drought conditions in California, a sinkhole in Mexico, sheepshearing in Germany, a daffodil festival in Austria, and much more

Most Popular on The Atlantic

  1. Why Can’t Everyone Do the ‘Asian Squat’?
  2. How America Fractured Into Four Parts
  3. Two Arctic Fish Are Breaking the Rules of Genetics
  4. Neuroscientists Have Discovered a Phenomenon That They Can’t Explain
  5. The Drug That Could Break American Health Care
  6. Princeton Dumbs Down Classics
  7. The Human Genome Is—Finally!—Complete
  8. The Fundamental Question of the Pandemic Is Shifting
  9. The Psychological Benefits of Commuting to Work
  10. Gymnastics Doesn’t Know What to Do With Simone Biles’s Dominance
Back to Top