USBR May Release Up To 1 Million Acre-Feet To Prop Up Powell, Lion's Share From Flaming Gorge

Last edited Thu Apr 16, 2026, 02:47 PM - Edit history (1)

Federal water managers are soon expected to announce a round of water releases that would prop up Lake Powell, the nation’s second-largest reservoir. Water levels there are near record lows, and they are expected to plummet even lower after a historically dry winter.

The Bureau of Reclamation, the federal agency which manages dams and reservoirs around the West, is trying to protect Glen Canyon Dam in northern Arizona. If water levels there drop much lower, it could become impossible for the dam to generate hydropower. Farther drops could make it impossible to pass water into the Colorado River on the other side.

Reclamation has indicated that it will explore a release of up to 1 million acre-feet of water from reservoirs in the Rocky Mountains and send it downstream to Lake Powell. An acre-foot is the amount of water needed to fill one acre of land to a height of one foot. One acre-foot generally provides enough water for one to two households for a year. Reclamation may also reduce the amount of water that is sent out of Lake Powell, through the Grand Canyon, and into Lake Mead.

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The back-and-forth over the pending federal release plan is set against the backdrop of contentious negotiations between the seven states that use the Colorado River. State leaders are under pressure to forge a new deal for sharing water, but they have dug in their heels and blown past deadlines for an agreement, all while water levels in major reservoirs drop further. Lower Basin states — Arizona, California, and Nevada — have agreed to some mandatory cutbacks, but their counterparts in the Upper Basin — Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico — have not.

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https://www.kjzz.org/science/2026-04-15/a-short-term-fix-for-lake-powell-could-be-coming-while-colorado-river-negotiations-drag-on