Overview
- The Bureau of Reclamation published a Final Environmental Impact Statement for a 10-year, reservoir-triggered operations plan and told stakeholders Thursday it will not perform cool-water releases from Glen Canyon this year, with a formal Record of Decision expected soon.
- Cool-water releases lower downstream river temperature to block invasive smallmouth bass spawning but would bypass hydropower turbines and cause large power losses when reservoirs like Lake Powell are near 23 percent capacity.
- The federal blueprint places most mandatory reductions on Lower Basin states, with reported near-term cuts that hit Arizona and Nevada far harder than Upper Basin states and prompting political and legal pushback from state water officials.
- Utilities that buy Glen Canyon hydropower welcomed the decision because it avoids costly alternative power purchases and higher customer bills, while conservation groups warned the move risks harm to threatened native fish that benefited from 2024–25 cool releases.
- Federal and local officials are deploying interim payment and incentive programs to shrink water demand even as critics say the plan overlooks rising users such as data centers and that long-term fixes will be needed to protect 40 million people, farms, ecosystems, and hydropower supply.