Overview
- Federal forecasters cut Lake Powell’s April–July inflow outlook to about 1.4 million acre-feet after Tuesday’s briefing, with roughly a 30% chance of matching or falling below the 2002 record low.
- An unusually warm, dry March drove early snowmelt and left record or near-record low snowpack across the Upper Colorado River Basin, where most of the river’s flow comes from mountain snow.
- Central Arizona Project officials warn Powell could come frighteningly close to the level that halts power generation at Glen Canyon Dam, and short-term releases from upstream reservoirs are being discussed as a stopgap.
- Talks among the seven basin states remain stalled, and Interior may choose a federal operating plan if no deal emerges, as Utah’s water chief says the system started the season in poor shape.
- The Colorado River supplies water to about 40 million people and irrigates more than 5 million acres, and forecasts for other Upper Basin reservoirs are also weak, including Flaming Gorge at about 51% of normal inflow, with heightened wildfire risk and pressure on ranchers expected.