UPDATE: Colorado River Basin Storage Continues Slide Toward System Crash

Read the Report Here

If the Colorado River Basin (Basin) experiences another dry year, similar to Water Year 2025, it is likely that reasonably accessible storage in Lake Powell and Lake Mead would be mostly depleted, even if consumptive uses and losses are at or near historic lows. Run-of-the-river operations would shortly ensue. This would be an outcome with devastating consequences.

In contrast, if next year is very wet, similar to Water Year 2023, the Basin’s largest federal reservoirs would recover somewhat, but would provide only about two years of cushion before we find ourselves again in the same position we are in
today, unless consumptive use decreases further. This recovery would be welcome but would provide only a brief reprieve from crisis. Both scenarios demonstrate the need to adopt significant additional measures to permanently decrease consumptive uses across the entire Basin.