A desperate operation to save one of the Colorado River basin's most important reservoirs is underway. Again.
Widespread drought and fears of a power crisis are forcing the Interior Department to start sending billions of gallons of water from Flaming Gorge Reservoir downstream to prop up Lake Powell.
The releases began Thursday. The water will travel down the Green River until it joins the Colorado near Canyonlands in Utah and makes its way to Lake Powell.
As much as one million acre feet, or a third of the water in Flaming Gorge, could be dedicated to keeping Lake Powell levels stable. Powell is getting so low that there are fears it could stop producing hydropower by August.
The Interior Department said it will also hold back about 1.5 million acre feet of water in Lake Powell that would normally continue on to Lake Mead.
Officials say the action could reduce Mead's ability to generate hydropower by 40% this fall.
The Powell rescue plan could also spoil recreation across the river basin this summer.
"At upstream reservoirs, boating access may be reduced earlier in the season than normal. In the Grand Canyon, lower flow rates will affect rafting conditions, and fishing may be more challenging," the Interior Department said in a statement.
This isn't the first time Flaming Gorge has been used as a lifeline for Lake Powell.
The Interior Department released half a million acre feet of water from the reservoir in 2022, but this year's releases could reach double that amount.
Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico reluctantly signed off on the plan to draw down Flaming Gorge on Tuesday.
Wyoming water commissioner Brandon Gebhart said in a statement that the drain will likely close three of five boat ramps at Flaming Gorge and hurt local fish as the water recedes.
"What we are approving..will have significant negative impacts on our water resources, local economies and recreation both this year and for years to come," he said. It will also impair our ability to respond to poor hydrologic conditions in the future. Our consideration and approval are not taken lightly, and we wouldn't be recommending this release except for the historically dire conditions."
Other commissioners said the situation called for states to cut back their water use.
"The upper basin is proud to be part of the solution — but we cannot be the entire solution," Colorado water commissioner Becky Mitchell said in a statement.
The four upper basin states remain at an impasse with California, Nevada and Arizona over how to share and conserve the dwindling waterway in the future.
The upper basin states are using the dire situation at Lake Powell to try to renew negotiations that have so far failed to spark a deal.
This story is part of ongoing coverage of the Colorado River, produced by KUNC in Colorado and supported by the Walton Family Foundation. KUNC is solely responsible for its editorial coverage.
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