Lake Powell Data
LAKE POWELLDATA.COM
DashboardSimulatorRampsArticles
DashboardSimulatorRampsArticles
A child plays in the sand at Lake Powell at sunset, with a houseboat in the background

Four generations here. Aiming for five.

Lake Powell has been part of my family for generations.

My grandpa started bringing my dad here while the reservoir was still filling. My dad passed that love of the lake down to us by taking us early and often. I took my first trip when I was just three weeks old. Now my own kids — including my son in the photo above — have been coming since they were babies too.

We still make it down to the lake five to ten times a year. Same beaches, same sunsets, same houseboat rhythm. Four generations strong.

I built this site because I want there to be a fifth.

I want my kids to be able to bring their kids here one day. For that to happen, Lake Powell needs to still be here — and it needs to be healthy. Right now, that future is not something we can take for granted.

This site exists to make the conversation around Lake Powell easier to understand. I wanted a way to show what different proposals and operating plans actually mean in real terms — not buried in legal or technical language, but expressed as water levels over time under real conditions.

If you care about this place, you should be able to clearly see what's being proposed and what the likely outcomes are.

My goal is to create content grounded in solid data: not clickbait, not fear-driven messaging, just a clear look at the numbers and what they mean for the lake, the people who depend on it, and the families who love it.

How the site works

Data sources, methodology, and definitions

Data Sources

  • •
    USBR (Bureau of Reclamation): Official water elevation, content, inflow, and outflow data
  • •
    Weather API: Temperature data from OpenWeatherMap

Methodology

Water level data is collected daily from the USBR and stored in our database. Ramp accessibility is calculated based on current water elevation compared to each ramp's minimum safe and usable elevations.

Historical averages are calculated from all available data in our database, with separate calculations for all-time, since filled (June 22, 1980), and since Water Year 2000 (October 1, 1999).

Projections use a Monte Carlo simulation that samples historical water year inflow patterns and applies your chosen release policy forward in time. Optional streamflow adjustments match USBR CRSS climate projections, and augmentation scenarios model the Colorado River Abundance Act's proposed desalinated Replacement Water as an offset to Powell releases.

Ramp Status Definitions

  • ✓

    Open and Usable

    Current elevation is at or above the ramp's minimum safe elevation.

  • ⚠

    Use at Own Risk

    Current elevation is between the minimum usable and minimum safe elevations.

  • ✗

    Unusable

    Current elevation is below the ramp's minimum usable elevation.