Colorado River Update: April 2026

Lake Powell Headed for All-Time Low

Lake Powell, the major Colorado River reservoir on the Utah-Arizona border, is in a precarious position. An extremely low snowpack and above-average temperatures this winter sharply reduced inflows into the reservoir this spring. As of mid-April, Powell sits at roughly one-quarter of its capacity and is still falling. If levels drop much further, infrastructure at Glen Canyon Dam will be threatened, preventing Utah from continuing to meet its downstream obligations. Hydropower generation at the dam also could be lost, affecting electricity for millions of homes, businesses, and Tribal communities across the West, including in Utah.

Immediate Water Release from Flaming Gorge

The states of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming have approved a plan to send water from Flaming Gorge to address the crisis at Lake Powell. Beginning April 23, between 660,000 and 1 million acre-feet is being released from Flaming Gorge Reservoir over the next twelve months. This is not a routine adjustment. It is a significant draw on one of Utah's most important upstream reserves, taken because the alternatives have run out.

Flaming Gorge supports communities, recreation, and ecosystems across northeastern Utah. Asking it to carry this burden now means Utah is giving up water it cannot easily get back. At the same time, the federal government is reducing scheduled releases from Lake Powell itself, which means Arizona, Nevada, and California will receive less water this year in order to protect the dam and reservoir.

Push for Urgent Negotiations

In the wake of these unprecedented actions, the Upper Division States have called for immediate negotiations among all seven Colorado River states and the federal government. Utah leaders, through the Colorado River Authority of Utah, are directly engaged. They are proposing facilitated mediation beginning in early May in Denver, focusing on how water is allocated, how communities will adapt to reduced supplies, and how to reduce demand across the system. Utah leaders have been direct: litigation will not produce more water, and the window to reach a voluntary agreement is closing.

What Happens Next

Meetings between state and federal officials are being scheduled now. The current legal framework governing the Colorado River expires at the end of 2026, leaving little time. If the states cannot reach agreement, the federal government will impose an operating plan, removing state control and likely triggering costly, drawn-out litigation.

Over the coming months, Utah leaders will work to protect the state's water rights while helping shape what comes next. The outcome of these negotiations will have lasting consequences for water security, power reliability, and growth across Utah.