Federal Colorado River plan puts focus on Lake Powell’s future

A new federal plan released Friday, July 31, could shape how the Colorado River is managed for the next decade, with significant implications for Lake Powell and Glen Canyon Dam.

Glen Canyon Dam near Page, Arizona. New proposed federal operating rules for the Colorado River are intended to help protect Lake Powell and Lake Mead through 2036. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey.

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation released its Final Environmental Impact Statement outlining proposed operating rules for the Colorado River system from 2027 through 2036. The plan comes after years of negotiations failed to produce a consensus among the seven Colorado River Basin states.

For residents of Kane County, the proposal is less about legal disputes between states and more about protecting one of the region’s most important economic and recreational resources.

The plan is designed to reduce the risk of Lake Powell and Lake Mead falling to critically low elevations that could threaten water deliveries and hydroelectric generation at Glen Canyon Dam. Federal officials say maintaining those reservoirs is the top priority as the Southwest continues to face long-term drought and declining river flows.

Under the proposal, Arizona, California and Nevada would absorb the largest mandatory reductions in water use, with deeper cuts possible if reservoir conditions continue to worsen. Utah, Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico would not face mandatory consumptive-use reductions under the current framework, reflecting the Upper Basin states’ position that their water use is already limited by natural river flows rather than fixed deliveries.

While the new operating rules are unlikely to produce any immediate changes visible to visitors at Lake Powell, they underscore the reservoir’s continuing challenges. As of late July, Lake Powell stood at about 3,525 feet above sea level, roughly 174 feet below full pool and about 24 percent of its live storage capacity. Reclamation’s most recent projections estimate the reservoir could finish the 2026 water year near elevation 3,516 if dry conditions persist.

The proposal has drawn criticism from Arizona officials, who argue the Lower Basin is being asked to shoulder too much of the burden. Federal officials counter that the plan reflects the realities of a river that carries significantly less water today than when the Colorado River Compact was signed more than a century ago.

The Bureau of Reclamation is expected to issue a formal Record of Decision later this year, establishing the operating rules that will replace the current guidelines when they expire at the end of 2026.