Wyoming reservoir pays the price of propping up Lake Powell

Flaming Gorge Reservoir, a critical backstop for the Colorado River Basin, has fallen about seven feet since April, squeezing Buckboard Marina's business. Owner Tony Valdez reports a daily drop of roughly one foot and says a third of his customers canceled as the ramp tilts toward the shore. With Lake Powell now less than a quarter full, the federal Bureau of Reclamation announced it would release up to 1 million acre-feet of water from Flaming Gorge over the coming year to prop Powell up. Powell sits well under 25% full; Andrea Travnicek stressed the urgency of protecting a resource that serves about 40 million people and supports hydropower, agriculture, and recreation. Valdez notes the reprieve comes at a cost; he is building new walkways and considering moving the marina closer to shore at an astronomical price. The agency projects Flaming Gorge to fall about 35 feet by next April, underscoring decades of drought and overuse that strain the system’s two largest reservoirs, with later plans likely triggering deep cuts to Colorado River deliveries. Valdez adds that you cannot solve the thirst with borrowed water alone.