The Great “Hot Drought” Humbug: Why Lake Powell Is Really Drying Up

[rangerrebew]

The Great “Hot Drought” Humbug: Why Lake Powell Is Really Drying Up
15 hours ago Guest Blogger 32 Comments
Steve Oregon

YouTube videos and media headlines love to blame the low water levels at Lake Powell on a single, dramatic narrative: a “hot drought” driven by climate change where rising temperatures are vaporizing the Colorado River.

It’s a convenient story, but it ignores basic thermodynamics, observed watershed hydrology, and century-old math.

Here is the real science behind why the “hot drought” narrative falls apart—and what is actually draining the Southwest’s reservoirs.
 
1. The Headwater Lie: Below Freezing is Still Below Freezing

The headline claiming a 1.5°F to 2.5°F temperature spike relies on a statistical trick: averaging temperatures across the entire basin, from scorching Arizona deserts up to Colorado’s highest peaks.

https://wattsupwiththat.com/2026/07/30/the-great-hot-drought-humbug-why-lake-powell-is-really-drying-up/

[DefiantMassRINO]

Dirty snow is a real thing.

Groundskeepers at Fenway Park spread black sand on late-Spring snow to get it to melt faster without salt.

Resources have limited availabilities.  Consumers of the water need to reduce their net consumption by finding ways to use less water, reduce waste water, and make better use of waste water.

If treated as a free market, as the reservoirs become more empty, water prices should increase to slow the rate of draw down.  Nobody likes to pay more for anything, but that can be used to drive water use and water waste efficiencies.