Lake Powell GOES DARK - Glen Canyon Dam Cuts Power To 5 Million Americans

Lake Powell doesn't have to run dry for the lights to go out. It just has to drop another 37 feet. As of June 5, 2026, the second-largest reservoir in the United States sits at 3,527.91 feet — about 37 feet above "minimum power pool," the elevation where Glen Canyon Dam's eight turbines must shut down to avoid tearing themselves apart. That's 120 feet above dead pool. The water is still there. The power is what disappears first. Federal projections put the lake at the turbine line by December 2026, and 7 feet below it by the end of the year — which would cut the single largest power source on a 17,000-mile federal grid serving roughly 5 million people and 53 tribes across six states. IN THIS VIDEO Why power dies at 3,490 ft — 120 feet before the reservoir ever runs dry The cavitation failure mode that forces all 8 turbines offline to protect the dam The Bureau of Reclamation projections: 3,490 ft by Dec 2026, 3,476 ft by March 2027 (lowest since filling began in 1963) The April 23, 2026 emergency release of up to 1 million acre-feet from Flaming Gorge Who actually pays: Page, Farmington, Gallup, Cortez, St. George, Cheyenne — and 130 wholesale customers on 20-year contracts Why experts call this "the most predicted disaster of all time" Sources: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation — Lake Powell water operations & 24-Month Studies: https://www.usbr.gov/uc/water/crsp/cs... Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) / Salt Lake City Area Integrated Projects: https://www.wapa.gov/regions/CRSP/ Grand Canyon Trust — How Glen Canyon Dam works / key reservoir levels: https://www.grandcanyontrust.org/ Central Arizona Project — Colorado River reservoir levels: https://www.cap-az.com/ Glen Canyon Institute (Eric Balken): https://www.glencanyon.org/ Upper Colorado River Commission (Becky Mitchell): https://www.ucrcommission.com/ Circle of Blue — Colorado River / Glen Canyon reporting (2026): https://www.circleofblue.org/ Newsweek — Colorado River basin coverage (July 2025): https://www.newsweek.com/ Disclaimer: This video reports publicly available data from federal agencies and named outlets as of June 2026; reservoir elevations and projections update monthly and may differ at time of viewing. #LakePowell #GlenCanyonDam #ColoradoRiver #drought #watercrisis #deadpool #hydropower #Arizona #Utah #grid #CrisisRadar