Overview
- Federal forecasters on Thursday said Lake Powell will receive about 800,000 acre-feet through July, roughly 13% of average and the lowest on record.
- The Interior Department is executing emergency operations to protect power generation, including routing water from Flaming Gorge and holding back more at Powell after this winter’s extreme heat and meager snow.
- Arizona, California and Nevada proposed conserving up to 1 million acre-feet through 2028, part of a 3.2 million acre-foot package that needs federal and state approval with details expected by August.
- Talks among all seven basin states remain strained, as Colorado’s Becky Mitchell called the Lower Basin offer a first step yet unsustainable and urged bringing in a mediator.
- Drought is already reshaping daily life, with fire officials warning of faster-spreading wildfires across the West and farm groups saying growers must plant without clear water allocations.