Current Water Level
Last updated: July 26, 2026Elevation
3522.90 ft
Daily Change
−1in
Weekly Change
−6in
Content
5.42M af
Inflow
6,231 cfs
Outflow
7,698 cfs
Last 7 daysExpand
Sun, Jul 26−1in3522.90ft
Sat, Jul 25−1in3522.96ft
Fri, Jul 24−1in3523.04ft
Thu, Jul 23−1in3523.15ft
Wed, Jul 22−1in3523.25ft
Tue, Jul 21+1in3523.34ft
Mon, Jul 20−2in3523.29ft
The bigger picture
What would each long-term federal plan actually do?
Start hereThe real problem isn't drought — it's math
Why Powell keeps dropping even in normal years, and what has to change.
6 min readRead
The verdictThe five federal plans, head to head
Same drought, same inflows — which policy actually keeps Powell alive?
8 min readRead
Top pick · RecoverySupply Driven — best recovery potential
Releases tied to how much water the river is actually producing. Wet years pay off and the lake climbs.
5 min readRead
Top pick · Power & StorageMax Operational Flexibility — strongest drawdown protection
Storage + flow-aware releases, with a run-of-river safeguard when Powell runs low.
5 min readRead
Elevation Trend
Projected Drop to Annual Low
Where the lake is likely to land between July 26 and December 31. Historical Avg is the typical drop in past years like this one. Current Trend is what happens if this week’s pace keeps up.
Projected Drop to Annual Low
Based on 0 past years that started near this elevation on July 26.
What the April 2026 federal plan will do to Lake Powell
In April 2026, the Bureau of Reclamation cut how much water Powell sends downstream and started moving water in from Flaming Gorge. The chart below shows where the lake lands with the plan compared to without it, from today through April 2027.
Through September 30, 2026, releases are cut from 7.48 MAF a year down to 6.0 MAF. Up to 1 MAF of water gets moved from Flaming Gorge into Powell between now and April 2027. The plan commits to keeping Powell at or above 3,500 ft — the “safety line” 10 ft above the point where the dam can’t make power anymore.
How much water flows in and out each day — including this year’s snowmelt (give or take 20%) and evaporation.
With the plan, Powell drops to 3513 ft by April 2027. Without it, the lake would drop to 3462 ft — that’s 61 ft down. The plan saves 51 ft. That’s 13 ft above the plan’s 3500 ft safety line.
See the math
Over the next 12 months
- In: ≈4.5 MAF (4.28 MAF snowmelt + 1 MAF from Flaming Gorge + base flow)
- Out: ≈4.3 MAF released to the Lower Basin — 1.7× what the plan adds
- Evaporation: ≈0.31 MAF off the surface
Net: -0.12 MAF. At 3523 ft, each foot of canyon holds about 63K acre-feet → that means a -10-ft drop to 3513 ft by April 2027.
The plan saves 51 ft. Without it, Powell drops to 3462 ft (-61 ft). Not a rise — a rescue.
This is just the patch through April 2027. Run the long-term simulator → to see which plan actually holds Powell up past 2026.
With the plan — smaller releases + Flaming Gorge water
Without the plan — normal releases, no Flaming Gorge transfer
2022 actuals — last Flaming Gorge emergency release (~500 KAF)
The gap between the two lines is what the plan buys.
Sep 30, 2026 (with plan)
3532 ft(+9 ft)
vs. 3501 ft without plan
April 2027 (with plan)
3513 ft(-10 ft)
vs. 3462 ft without plan
What the plan saves
+51 ftby April 2027
Stops a 61-ft drop
Start of each month (with plan)
| Month | Elevation | Change from today (3523 ft) |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 2026 | 3530 ft | +7 ft |
| Sep 2026 | 3532 ft | +9 ft |
| Oct 2026 | 3526 ft | +3 ft |
| Nov 2026 | 3521 ft | -2 ft |
| Dec 2026 | 3517 ft | -6 ft |
| Jan 2027 | 3514 ft | -9 ft |
| Feb 2027 | 3510 ft | -13 ft |
| Mar 2027 | 3510 ft | -13 ft |
| Apr 2027 | 3513 ft | -10 ft |
Context — the 2022 release: Powell went from 3537 ft to 3525 ft over the last Flaming Gorge emergency release window — a net -12 ft.
The 2022 release (~500 KAF under the DROA) ran May 2022 → April 2023. Emergency releases from Flaming Gorge slow Powell's decline; they don't reverse it on their own. The 2022 window had different snowpack and smaller cuts, so this is a historical reference — not a forecast.
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Compare the plans
Which plan actually holds the lake up?
Head-to-head — every plan on the same chart
Side-by-side grades across recovery, floor, bad-case ending, and speed. The full verdict.
8 min readRead
Enhanced Coordination — balancing Powell and Mead
A middle-ground plan that coordinates the two biggest reservoirs on the river.
5 min readRead
The Abundance Act — what if we added new water?
Desalination at scale. How much it would cost, and how much it would actually help.
7 min readRead
Basic Coordination — elevation-based cuts
Better than No Action, but still not enough to recover from a deep drawdown.
4 min readRead
No Action — the post-2026 default if nothing changes
Full 8.23 MAF out the door every year, drought or not. Why it fails fast.
4 min readRead
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