World
One Million Acre-Feet From Wyoming Buys Powell a Year
The Bureau of Reclamation opened Flaming Gorge on May 15, buying Lake Powell 54 feet and roughly 11 months of headroom before Glen Canyon Dam loses generating power to 5 million WAPA customers across six states. A replacement framework for the Colorado River's expiring rules is still unsigned, with an October 1 deadline approaching.
The Bureau of Reclamation opened Flaming Gorge's gates on May 15, releasing up to one million acre-feet to keep Lake Powell above its minimum power pool.
Lake Powell's April-to-July inflow is forecast at 800,000 acre-feet, 13 percent of average and the lowest on record since the reservoir filled in 1963. The previous low was 964,000 acre-feet, set in 2002. NOAA hydrologist Cody Moser said there was "really no good news this winter."
The lake held 23 percent of capacity as of early May, measuring 394 feet at the dam. Below an elevation of 3,490 feet, Glen Canyon Dam stops generating electricity. Without the Flaming Gorge transfer, Bureau of Reclamation models put Powell below that line by August.
The release runs through April 2027, roughly 11 months of supplemental flow, projected to add about 54 feet to the reservoir. Without it, reduced Powell releases to Lake Mead could cut Hoover Dam's generating output by 40 percent as early as fall 2026.
Andrea Travnicek, Reclamation's assistant secretary for water and science, described the system as supplying water to 40 million people. The Western Area Power Administration delivers Glen Canyon's output (rated 1,320 megawatts, now running at roughly 800) to about 5 million retail customers across six states.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced the Flaming Gorge action on May 15, saying he was "grateful for the Governors and their teams working diligently to find a solution." The current management rules expire in 2026, with a replacement framework required by October 1. Colorado's negotiator Becky Mitchell said in May that basin-state differences "highlight the urgent need to come back together with the help of a mediator."
Congress authorized $3.1 billion in disaster relief for Interior in late 2024. The majority of unobligated funds were designated for National Park Service construction, principally Blue Ridge Parkway repairs. None was earmarked for Colorado River response.
Draining Flaming Gorge implies a narrower margin for whatever comes next. The reservoir held 3.1 million acre-feet when the gates opened, 83 percent of capacity. By April 2027, Reclamation projects that figure at roughly 59 percent.
If negotiations miss October 1, the next drought response starts from Flaming Gorge at 59 percent of capacity, not 83.