Lake Powell officers take emergency steps to preserve hydropower from Glen Canyon Dam

Step one is releasing extra water from upstream on the Colorado River this year. The second is water can be held again in Lake Powell itself, instead of being sent to downstream states.

The US Bureau of Reclamation expects the dual actions will boost Lake Powell by nearly 1 million acre-feet of water. The reservoir contained about 5.8 million acre-feet of water as of Tuesday, according to the bureau, although its full capability is round 25 million acre-feet.

With out the emergency steps, the bureau estimated there was about a 25% chance the Glen Canyon Dam could have stopped producing hydropower by January. The dam generates power for as many as 5.8 million homes and businesses in seven states.

The company said in a press release Tuesday's resolution was meant to guard "hydropower generation, the facility's key infrastructure, and the water provide for the town of Page, Arizona, and the LeChee Chapter of the Navajo Nation."

The emergency actions will purchase the federal authorities 12 months because it considers longer-term measures.

"We've never taken this step before, but the potential danger on the horizon calls for prompt motion," Assistant Secretary of Water and Science, Tanya Trujillo told reporters. "We have to work together to stabilize the reservoir before we face a bigger crisis."

Lake Powell has dropped round 100 toes within the last three years because the West has been besieged by drought. As the water stage has fallen, Glen Canyon Dam has misplaced about 16% of its capability to generate power.

Bryan Hill, general manager of the general public energy utility in Page, Arizona, likened the scenario to judgment day.

"We're knocking on the door of judgment day," Hill beforehand instructed CNN. "Judgment day being when we have no water to give anybody."

The decisions made for Lake Powell also affect its downstream neighbor, Lake Mead, which is the largest reservoir in the country.

Water cuts for those who rely on Lake Mead began in January, and Tuesday's decision could result in additional restrictions.

Lake Mead's water stage is now low sufficient to expose one of many reservoir's original, 1971 water intake valves for the first time. The valve can no longer draw water, in response to the Southern Nevada Water Authority, the agency chargeable for managing water sources for 2.2 million people in southern Nevada, including Las Vegas.

Officers over the weekend made another disturbing discovery introduced on by Lake Mead's plummeting water stage: a body in a barrel police say is a possible murder victim from the 1980s.

"The lake has drained dramatically during the last 15 years," mentioned Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Murder Lieutenant Ray Spencer. "It's probably that we are going to discover additional bodies which were dumped in Lake Mead" because the water stage drops more.