On our first visit to Lake Powell, we discovered the boat pictured above. We felt bad for them, but otherwise put it behind us. The next time on the lake, part of our crew was water skiing and our boat hit a rock. No one was hurt fortunately. The boat wasn't taking on water, but the fiberglass repair cost almost totaled our boat.
With these episodes in mind, I searched for a chartplotter to help warn us of pending danger. Thinking I found the answer, I purchased one, only to get on the lake and discover "Shallow Warning Depths" don't work unless the lake is full. Almost all maps are produced to "Full Pool" (maximum lake level). With the water level variation of Lake Powell, that doesn't help much. As you can see on the COMPARE page, the lower map does not highlight the rocks that were just below the surface.
In an effort to resolve this, we have produced a set of maps with 10' lake level adjustments from 3550' to 3700'. It's a matter of selecting a Lake Powell - Lake Level Map based on the current lake level. These maps are available on Memory Cards for Garmin GPS / Chartplotters, download format for Apple, Android and Windows. Lake level information is available at http://lakepowell.water-data.com and forecast information at http://www.usbr.gov/uc/water/crsp/studies/lppwse.html
In order to select the proper Lake Powell - Lake Level Map, subtract the clearance needed for your boat from the current lake level. Select the closest, but lower Lake Level Map. For example the let's say the lake level is at 3638'. You want a 3' clearance for your boat. Subtracting 3' from 3638' equals 3635' (3638'-3'=3635'). The closest lower Lake Level Map would be 3630', giving you 8' of clearance.
With these episodes in mind, I searched for a chartplotter to help warn us of pending danger. Thinking I found the answer, I purchased one, only to get on the lake and discover "Shallow Warning Depths" don't work unless the lake is full. Almost all maps are produced to "Full Pool" (maximum lake level). With the water level variation of Lake Powell, that doesn't help much. As you can see on the COMPARE page, the lower map does not highlight the rocks that were just below the surface.
In an effort to resolve this, we have produced a set of maps with 10' lake level adjustments from 3550' to 3700'. It's a matter of selecting a Lake Powell - Lake Level Map based on the current lake level. These maps are available on Memory Cards for Garmin GPS / Chartplotters, download format for Apple, Android and Windows. Lake level information is available at http://lakepowell.water-data.com and forecast information at http://www.usbr.gov/uc/water/crsp/studies/lppwse.html
In order to select the proper Lake Powell - Lake Level Map, subtract the clearance needed for your boat from the current lake level. Select the closest, but lower Lake Level Map. For example the let's say the lake level is at 3638'. You want a 3' clearance for your boat. Subtracting 3' from 3638' equals 3635' (3638'-3'=3635'). The closest lower Lake Level Map would be 3630', giving you 8' of clearance.