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Reclamation Orders 1 Million Acre-Feet to Keep Powell High

8/21/2026

26 3 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

Lake Powell fell to 3,519.91 feet, roughly 30 feet above the 3,490-foot power pool.
The Bureau of Reclamation ordered one million acre-feet from Flaming Gorge to keep Powell above 3,500 feet.
Governor Spencer Cox said abandoning Powell is not an option and urged tough water-conservation cuts.
Reclamation’s final impact statement proposes a “Fill Mead First” plan that could lower Powell and add diversion tunnels.

History

Historical Context

After the 1922 Colorado River Compact over-allocated water based on an unusually wet 30-year record, the 1992 western drought forced the Bureau of Reclamation to declare a shortage and cut Arizona, Nevada and California to 2.5 million acre-feet each—a 30 percent reduction. Decades of warming and megadrought have driven Lake Powell to 3,519.9 ft, prompting another one-million-acre-foot release from Flaming Gorge.

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Story summary

Lake Powell fell to 3,519.91 feet, roughly 30 feet above the 3,490-foot power pool.
The Bureau of Reclamation ordered one million acre-feet from Flaming Gorge to keep Powell above 3,500 feet.
Governor Spencer Cox said abandoning Powell is not an option and urged tough water-conservation cuts.
Reclamation’s final impact statement proposes a “Fill Mead First” plan that could lower Powell and add diversion tunnels.

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