The Alaska Highway has been flooded just north of Beaver Creek in the Yukon.

Officials have closed the highway from the U.S. border to Canada’s Beaver Creek customs office as of Sunday afternoon.

“We have crews out there working on it,” said Julia Duchesne, an information officer with the government’s Emergency Co-ordination Centre. “I can’t speculate on how long the closure will last until we know more about the cause.”

Duchesne said there are a couple of different ways spring melt could cause water to pool on the road, like a ditch spilling over or a culvert washing out with spring melt.

“We do know that in April our hydrology team did identify that across the Yukon, steep streams that cross roads and highways are an area of elevated concern, what with the snowpack across the territory,” she said.

“The roads looked like they started shifting a bit,” said Chealsea Johnny, who works at the Beaver Creek visitor information centre. “There’s definitely going to be some tourists stuck for however long it takes for them to open it.”

For the most up to date information on road conditions, Duchesne encourages drivers to check 511yukon.ca. She says she understands the closure may be disruptive to travellers, but asks anyone who had planned on crossing to be patient.

“We do sometimes see people going through barricades or moving barricades,” she said. “It’s a bad idea, both for your own safety and the safety of crews who are trying to fix the problem.”

Territorial officials say an update on road conditions will be issued before 2 p.m. Monday.

PHOENIX — A new proposal from Arizona and other Southwestern states aims to keep the Colorado River system from reaching a critical breaking point.

After more than a year of stalled negotiations, Arizona, California and Nevada are now voluntarily proposing deeper water cuts to help stabilize the river and protect water levels at Lake Powell and Lake Mead.

“This proposal reflects the creativity and commitment of water users across the Lower Basin who continue to step forward with solutions that support the river,” said Tom Buschatzke, Arizona’s Colorado River negotiator. “We have shown that collaborative, voluntary efforts and reductions that are certain can produce meaningful water savings.”

But even as states step in, experts warn nature may ultimately determine whether those efforts are enough.

“This conflict, this time we’re in, is something that truly will be in history books,” Kyle Rodrick with the Great Basin Water Network said. “This is a moment, a flashpoint.”

State leaders are calling the proposal a short-term “bridge” as they work toward a long-term agreement on how to share the Colorado River. The plan would save more than 3.2 million acre-feet of water through 2028. That’s enough water to cover nearly the entire state of Connecticut one foot deep.

Those voluntary cuts build on earlier reductions and come as water levels in key reservoirs continue to drop after a historically dry winter.

“If we had had a huge winter with huge snowpacks all throughout the basin, we probably wouldn’t be seeing this,” said Kyle Roerink of the Great Basin Water Network.

The goal of the proposal is to keep water levels high enough at Lake Powell and Lake Mead, the two largest reservoirs in the country, which are critical for delivering water and power across the Southwest. Experts say the stakes are especially high at Lake Powell.

“Lake Powell will be falling to the lowest point since it began filling in the 1960s,” said Eric Balken of the Glen Canyon Institute. “Without intervention it would fall below minimum power pool later this year.”

If water levels drop below that threshold, the dam would no longer be able to generate hydropower, and it could threaten the ability to move water downstream to Arizona and other states.

The future of the Colorado River system now largely rests with the federal government. Negotiations among the seven basin states over a long-term water-sharing agreement have stalled, and the Bureau of Reclamation is working on a new plan that could reshape how the river is managed moving forward.
https://www.abc15.com/news/state/new-federal-plan-could-shape-what-happens-next-with-colorado-river-water

Some experts say the divide between states remains a major hurdle.

“I think the lower basin states came to the table willing to make very serious contributions,” Balken said. “I don’t feel the upper basin came with the same level of commitment.”

While the proposed cuts could help stabilize water levels in the short term, it may only buy time. Long-term stability of the Colorado River system will still depend heavily on future snowpack and precipitation.

“If we have a similar winter next winter, it will be brutal,” Roerink said. “The actions water managers have to take will make today’s news look like a cakewalk.”

Any new plan would need to be in place by October 1, the start of the next water year.