Lake Powell


Is a manmade lake in Southern Utah on the border with Arizona. The Colorado River feeds into this lake.

History

Finished in 1963 after a failed dam in Echo Park, now Dinosaur National Monument in Colorado. People tried to stop the build of Glen Canyon Dam, but they were too late. Glen Canyon Dam is what holds back the waters known as Lake Powell.

On October 1, 1956, construction began when President Eisenhower pushed a button in the Oval Office which began the clearing tunnels for water diversion. It took until February 11, 1959, for the tunnels to be built and the water to be diverted. Then the construction of the dam began. They also built a bridge so that materials could be brought in for the dam and the new town of Page Arizona.

On June 17, 1960, marked the day that they started around the clock concrete placement. The last bucket of concrete was placed on September 13, 1963, marking the completion of the dam.

Once it was completed the river didn’t need to be diverted anymore. It took 16 years to be filled to the 3,700 ft level.

Facts

  • Started on October 1, 1956
  • Finished on September 13, 1963
  • Max Length
    • 186 Miles
  • Max Width
    • 25 miles
  • Surface Area
    • 161,390 acre-ft
  • Average depth
    • 132 Feet
  • Max Depth
    • 583 Feet
  • Water volume
    • Full
      • 24,322,000 Acre-ft
    • Current
      • 13,625,973 acre-ft (July 11, 2019)
  • Shore length
    • 1,900 Miles
  • Surface
    • Full at 3,700 Feet
  • Cost $155 Million
  • Concrete used
    • 5 million cubic yards

Pictures

Here are some pictures of Lake Powell

Been going there

I started to go there back in the 1980s and I have enjoyed the waters of Lake Powell for a long time. I have seen where we used to Cliff Jump and what was under the water. Makes me think about the what if’s.