Current Water Level
Last updated: October 25, 2026Elevation
3527.51 ft
Daily Change
+1ft 5in
Weekly Change
+7ft
Content
5.69M af
Inflow
51,515 cfs
Outflow
6,580 cfs
Last 7 daysExpand
Sun, Oct 25+1ft 5in3527.51ft
Sat, Oct 24+1ft 1in3526.10ft
Fri, Oct 23+1ft 5in3525.00ft
Thu, Oct 22+1ft 10in3523.59ft
Wed, Oct 21+1ft3521.76ft
Tue, Oct 20+1in3520.77ft
Mon, Oct 19+2in3520.71ft
Elevation Trend
Projected Drop to Spring Low
Where the lake is likely to land between October 25 and April 8. Historical Avg is the typical drop in past years like this one. Current Trend is what happens if this week’s pace keeps up.
No projection data available
Projected Drop to Spring Low
Based on 6 past years that started near this elevation on October 25.
16.1 ft
to ~3511.5 ft by April 8
Range: 19.8 to 12.3 ft
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 3482 ft — that’s 46 ft down. The plan saves 31 ft. That’s 13 ft above the plan’s 3500 ft safety line.
See the math
Over the next 12 months
- In: ≈2.3 MAF (1.62 MAF snowmelt + 1 MAF from Flaming Gorge + base flow)
- Out: ≈2.6 MAF released to the Lower Basin — 1.0× what the plan adds
- Evaporation: ≈0.14 MAF off the surface
Net: -0.39 MAF. At 3528 ft, each foot of canyon holds about 61K acre-feet → that means a -14-ft drop to 3513 ft by April 2027.
The plan saves 31 ft. Without it, Powell drops to 3482 ft (-46 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)
3519 ft(-9 ft)
vs. 3519 ft without plan
April 2027 (with plan)
3513 ft(-14 ft)
vs. 3482 ft without plan
What the plan saves
+31 ftby April 2027
Stops a 46-ft drop
Start of each month (with plan)
| Month | Elevation | Change from today (3528 ft) |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 2026 | 3510 ft | -18 ft |
| Dec 2026 | 3510 ft | -18 ft |
| Jan 2027 | 3510 ft | -18 ft |
| Feb 2027 | 3510 ft | -18 ft |
| Mar 2027 | 3510 ft | -18 ft |
| Apr 2027 | 3513 ft | -14 ft |
Context — the 2022 release: Powell went from 3530 ft to 3525 ft over the last Flaming Gorge emergency release window — a net -5 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.
Loading storage visualization...
Loading snowpack chart...
Loading snowpack data...
Lake Powell
