{"id":728,"date":"2026-06-17T23:02:59","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T23:02:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sanfranciscomovingguide.com\/?p=728"},"modified":"2026-06-17T23:02:59","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T23:02:59","slug":"satellite-photos-show-beleaguered-arizona-reservoir-turn-green","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sanfranciscomovingguide.com\/?p=728","title":{"rendered":"Satellite photos show beleaguered Arizona reservoir turn green"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The San Carlos Reservoir, one of Arizona\u2019s largest and most beleaguered bodies of water, has reached extremely low levels yet again, recent photos taken by NASA satellites show.\u00a0<\/p>

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The two before-and-after photos of the reservoir, which were included in a June 17 article from the agency, show starkly different images captured in 2023 and 2026. In the image on the left, which was taken in June 2023, the reservoir was a deep blue and filled to about 60% capacity. But in the image on the right, which was taken in May of this year, the reservoir was a sickly green-brown color and \u201cnear-empty\u201d at less than 1% capacity.<\/p><\/div>

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In 2026, a combination of low snowpack and water released for agriculture left the lake with less than 400 acre-feet of water\u00a0\u2014 and a dead fish population. \u201cRecent drought conditions, combined with water releases from the dam, have resulted in a major fish kill affecting approximately 100% of the fish population within the lake,\u201d officials announced this month. Following this \u201cmajor\u201d die-off, authorities indefinitely shut down the San Carlos Lake in June, citing the dangers of coming in contact with decomposed fish.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>

However, this is far from the only time that the reservoir has dealt with dwindling water levels and mass die-offs.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>

As of 2021, it has reached near-empty levels at least 20 times and has only been full three times since it was built in 1928,\u00a0KJZZ reported. In the 1970s, around 5 million fish died, and it took about five years for the ecosystem to rebound, the Gila Herald reported.\u00a0<\/p>

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