More than 30m Americans could face drinking water crisis as officials find ... trends now
More than 30 million Americans could be hit with a water shortage after plumbing issues were found with a major US dam that sits on the Colorado River, officials warn.
Inspectors from the US Bureau of Reclamation found serious pipe damage in the Glen Canyon Dam, which means there will be no spring water release - threatening water supplies downstream.
The pipes in question are called the 'river outlet works,' and they're used to release water down the Colorado River to Lake Mead from the penned up Lake Powell.
A fall release has neither been scheduled nor canceled yet, leaving residents of California, Nevada, and Utah who depend on water from Lake Mead without answers for now.
The pipes in question are called the 'river outlet works,' and they're used to release water down the Colorado River to Lake Mead from the penned up Lake Powell
The Glen Canyon Dam holds back the waters of the Colorado River, forming Lake Powell. Water released from Glen Canyon Dam makes its way down to Lake Mead, but with no releases this spring water levels could fall.
These four 8-foot pipes are the 'river outlet works,' which release water downstream periodically to help re-nourish beaches with sediment.
A fall release has neither been scheduled nor canceled yet, leaving residents of California , Nevada, and Utah who depend on water from Lake Mead without answers for now
There are four eight-foot-wide pipes out of the dam that release water downstream, where it flows about 200 miles into Lake Mead. Lake Mead is the US's largest reservoir - when it's full.
But these pipes may be too damaged to release water to Lake Mead consistently, according to an inspection after their most recent tests, according to the US Bureau of Reclamation.
This means that the residents of Nevada, Utah, California, and parts of northern Mexico who depend on Lake Mead for drinking water may continue to deal with existing water shortages this year - shortages they've faced off and on since 2014.
What's more, the unfavorable inspection report suggests that the river outlet works pipes are not up to the task of releasing water.
This is a problem because the Colorado River Compact requires that water continue to flow.
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