News Release Archive

Annual Lake Moovalya drawdown in January for maintenance activities

Media Contact: Patti Aaron, 702-293-8189, paaron@usbr.gov
Doug Hendrix, 702-293-8391, dhendrix@usbr.gov

For Release: December 17, 2020

Boulder City, Nev. — The Bureau of Reclamation is coordinating with the Bureau of Indian Affairs to lower the water level of Lake Moovalya to facilitate annual maintenance on the Colorado River Indian Tribes’ canals. The water level will be lowered by approximately one foot in elevation for about three weeks beginning in early-January. Lake Moovalya is the small body of water upstream of Headgate Rock Dam north of Parker, Arizona.

The drawdown is scheduled to begin the morning of Monday, January 4. The one-foot drop should be completed by Monday afternoon, but the exact timing could vary depending on operational or environmental conditions. The drawdown is expected to have only minimal impacts on releases from Parker Dam and will not affect Colorado River flows below Headgate Rock Dam.

During the drawdown, the Lake Moovalya water level will be lowered to elevation 363.40 feet, about one foot lower than the normal elevation of 364.40 feet. The lake should return to its normal elevation on Monday, January 25; however, a return to normal elevation may occur sooner or later than this date depending on operational or environmental conditions.

All river users should be aware that fluctuating or lower than normal river flows may expose or create natural hazards such as moving sandbars, gravel bars, unstable riverbanks, floating or submerged debris, or other unfamiliar obstacles. As always, caution should be exercised while using the river.

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