October was a banner month for Lake Powell, a key Colorado River reservoir straddling the Utah-Arizona state line, as rainstorms sent billions of gallons into the pool behind Glen Canyon Dam.
What that means for ongoing drawdowns from Flaming Gorge Reservoir on the Wyoming-Utah border is uncertain.
Between Oct. 21 and Oct. 28, the reservoir’s contents increased by 537,540 acre-feet, or roughly 175 billion gallons, raising its level by nine to 10 feet, according to reservoir data.
The surge was primarily driven by flooding along the San Juan River in the Four Corners region. All told, Lake Powell gained about 600,000 acre-feet from its September low through late October.
Coincidentally, 600,000-acre feet is roughly the amount released from Flaming Gorge over the past few months to make up for Lake Powell shortfalls.
‘It’s Crazy, Absolutely Crazy'
Wyoming State Engineer Brandon Gebhart represents Wyoming on the four-member Upper Colorado River Commission.
During its September meeting, the commission voted to send a letter to U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum stating that recovery of the releases from Flaming Gorge “is a priority when hydrologic conditions improve.”
In an email sent Monday to Cowboy State Daily, Gebhardt said the status of the drawdown plan remains uncertain.
“The gains at Lake Powell are certainly a positive development. Recent inflows have taken Lake Powell from about 22% full in early October to about 26% full as of yesterday. While the improvement is welcome, Lake Powell remains very low,” Gebhart wrote.
“The Drought Response Plan that approved the additional Flaming Gorge releases includes a monitoring element. Wyoming and the other Upper Basin States meet regularly with the Bureau of Reclamation to monitor and assess the hydrologic conditions," he wrote.
According to the plan, which calls for between 660,000 and 1 million acre-feet drawn for the plan year by April 2027, as much as 400,000 acre-feet could be taken from Flaming Gorge.
On Flaming Gorge's Wyoming side, Buckboard Marina owner Tony Valdez told Cowboy State daily the marina has been all but ruined by the drawdowns.
And he hasn’t gotten any word about the drawdowns stopping.
“We don’t understand why they’re pulling what they’re still pulling,” he said. “It’s crazy, absolutely crazy.”
Lake Powell Outlook
The Bureau of Reclamation reported that although the October spike at Lake Powell helped, it wasn’t enough to break the long-term trend of critical shortages.
Lake Powell remains about 174 feet below full pool, according to the agency.
Gebhart wrote that the plan can be “modified, adjusted, or ended” according to conditions and water supply projections.
The 2022 drought response plan ended early because of heavy snowpack that year, he noted.
“There is a chance that the additional Flaming Gorge releases can be reduced this year, but we will likely need to see how the snowpack develops in the coming months,” Gebhart wrote.
‘There Is No Marina’
Valdez said about 12 feet of water remains at the bottom of the bay holding his marina, and operations there have ceased.
“Our marina is gone. We’re not anchored. Half of our gear is on land,” he said.
Walkways leading to boat ramps are starting to warp from a lack of water to support the structures, he said.
“It’s only 200 feet across the bay now, when it used to be 1,000 feet,” Valdez said. "If we don’t recover by spring 2027, there is no marina.”
Valdez said he’s reaching out to state and federal officials, pleading for something to change before it’s too late.
“We need recovery, we need recovery,” he said. “We need 20 feet of water.”
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
