Colorado River crisis deepens with record reservoir lows

Lake Mead and Lake Powell have fallen to their lowest combined levels on record, underscoring the growing strain on the Colorado River as the Trump administration prepares a long-term plan to address worsening water shortages across the West.

Researchers say the two reservoirs now contain less water than at any point on record, surpassing the previous low reached in 2023.

"It's a hell of a milestone," Jack Schmidt, director of Utah State University's Center for Colorado River Studies, told the Los Angeles Times. "Really a teaching moment to all of us of the severity of the crisis."

Lake Mead, the nation's largest reservoir near Las Vegas, is about 27% full, while Lake Powell on the Utah-Arizona border has dropped to roughly 23% of capacity.

If Powell falls another 33 feet, water would no longer reach the dam's hydroelectric power intakes.

Schmidt and fellow researchers warned that reservoir levels are expected to continue setting record lows until winter snowpack begins replenishing the system.

This year's Rocky Mountain snowpack was the smallest on record, sharply reducing runoff into the Colorado River.

"If you need any more evidence that we have a five-alarm fire, here it is," Schmidt said.

The Colorado River supplies water to about 35 million people and irrigates roughly 5 million acres of farmland across seven Western states and northern Mexico.

Since 2020, river flows have averaged about 32% below historical levels as drought, reduced runoff, and rising demand have taken a growing toll.

The National Weather Service is forecasting above-average precipitation across much of the Southwest through October as El Niño conditions develop, but it remains unclear how much relief that could actually provide.

The record lows come as the Trump administration is expected to soon unveil a 10-year strategy for managing the Colorado River.

Schmidt explained that the seven states need "to agree together, or accept a mandate from the federal government, that major reductions have to be implemented right now."

Disagreement over how to reduce water use has reportedly pitted the three downstream states of California, Arizona, and Nevada against the upstream states of Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and New Mexico.

According to the Times, the downstream faction has proposed voluntary water reductions totaling about 1.6 million acre-feet annually over the next two years.

However, federal officials have reportedly considered mandatory reductions approaching twice that amount if the states cannot reach an agreement.

Jennifer Pitt, director of the National Audubon Society's Colorado River program, told the outlet that federal officials appear to be "trying to put some structure in place that pushes the states to try again, maybe with a slightly different playing field, to see if the states can come to some sort of agreement."

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Reclamation continues funding conservation efforts, including payments to water agencies, farmers, and ranchers to leave more water in the reservoirs as officials work to slow their historic decline.