2011 could turn out to be the second-best year ever for Lake
Powell inflows By Summit Voice SUMMIT COUNTY — Flooding in the
high country in early spring and summer may have been a nuisance
for some, but in the big picture, it helped push Colorado River
inflows into Lake Powell to near record levels. At times, Powell
was rising at the rate of about 12 inches per day, bringing the
water level up by 50 feet for the runoff season so far. The
Bureau of Reclamation reported that July inflow along totaled
about 4.5 million acre feet (278 percent of average), the
second-best year since Glen Canyon Dam was completed in 1963.
Only 1995 was wetter, with a total inflow of 4.41 million acre
feet in July. Total inflows for the runoff season, April through
July, reached 12.9 million acre feet, which is 162 percent of
average. June inflow was even higher, totaling 5.4 million acre
feet. Lake Powell, a key reservoir for the entire Colorado River
Basin, has seen below average inflows, and the water level has
been on a downward