As the Green River flows out of Flaming Gorge Reservoir, concerns are rising in Manila, a small town in Utah where outdoor enthusiasts flock to fish, camp and relax on boats.
To shore up Lake Powell, which is dwindling hundreds of miles downstream, and maintain the dam’s power generation that powers more than 350,000 homes, federal officials plan to: Over the next year, one-third of Flaming Gorge’s water will be released.
“When you pump out that much water, people say, ‘Well, that’s enough. It’s going to be okay,'” Manila’s mayor said. Kathy Knight said of the 91 Mile Reservoir. “Huh, is that really the case? ”
The unprecedented move is Some boat ramps will be taken out of service this year. There are also concerns that the summer season will be shorter, questions about when water levels will rise again, and fears of another significant drop in the coming years.
Flaming Gorge Reservoir, May 1, 2026 (Annie Knox, Utah News Service)
Get your morning headlines.
Subscribe
At Lucerne Valley Marina, their family’s home base on the Utah-Wyoming border, Jessica and Brant Williams say business has already taken a hit. Anticipating that the season could end early as the waters recede, the company offered patrons refunds, and some customers have opted to do so.
As they try to take it one day at a time, they can’t help but think about the havoc that an alarming year of record-high winter temperatures and record-low snowfall could wreak on the Colorado River Basin and, as a result, their business. They can only push through the docks or allow boats to slip into the reservoir before crashing into the structures protecting the cove.
Jessica Williams stands for portrait at Lucerne Valley Marina, May 1, 2026. (Annie Knox, Utah News Dispatch)
“If it’s like this two years in a row, we might not be able to open,” Brant Williams said Friday. On the same day, federal officials began releasing more water, timed to help endangered fish species, before increasing water releases again this week. Fighting back tears, Jessica Williams spoke of the stress, adding to the stress that rising fuel prices and economic uncertainty are having on holidaymakers’ choices.
“Will people be able to travel?” she asked. “Will they be able to buy gas?”
In a sense, this is familiar territory. A similar effort four years ago sent large amounts of water from Flaming Gorge to the Green River, which eventually reached the Colorado River and flowed into Lake Powell. But the new plan could take in up to double the 2022 amount.
Jessica Williams is concerned, but points out that the reservoir was built to continue producing hydroelectric power and strengthen the Colorado River system. But the marina has been in her family for 61 years, and she worries it will cost the community in the coming months and still be unable to maintain Lake Powell.
Officials representing Utah, Colorado and Wyoming approved the plan in April. pointed out the economic impact To Flaming Gorge. They said the water “will be recovered once the release is finished and the hydrological situation improves.”
The reservoir is expected to drop more than 12 feet by the end of September and more than 35 feet next year, according to the Bureau of Reclamation. To further encourage Lake Powell’s use, officials also plan to reduce the flow into Nevada’s Lake Mead.
Flaming Gorge Dam Photo, May 1, 2026 (Annie Knox, Utah News-Dispatch)
Matt Tippetts, chairman of the three-person commission for Daggett County, which includes the Utah side of Flaming Gorge, remains optimistic that the reservoir will still be vast, even if it’s only down to 60% capacity.
“This is important. It’s new,” Tippetts said. “I don’t want it to surface. If this happens two or three years, two or three years in a row, it could be disastrous, but I don’t think we’re at that stage yet.”
This area is known for its towering red rocks, sparkling blue water, and many coves. now, The county is working to expand its attractions beyond the water, including forests and trails suitable for mountain biking and ATVs, and a shooting range that hosted competitions over the weekend.
Speaking to the Utah News-Dispatch at the shooting range Friday as gunshots rang out and participants sat down to plates of barbecue, Tippetts said the county is expecting significant snowfall in the coming winter to replenish water levels in the reservoir, similar to the 2023 offseason.
“We’re hopeful, we’re praying, and we’re optimistic that it can happen again,” he said. “We will focus on what we can do, even if it means maintaining the status quo.”
Daggett County Commissioner Matt Tippett looks out from above Flaming Gorge Reservoir on May 1, 2026 (Annie Knox, Utah News-Dispatch)
Seven states along the Colorado River are trying to reach an agreement on how to share dwindling water supplies, but at issue is how upstream reservoirs like Flaming Gorge should be managed.
The Colorado River accounts for 27% of Utah’s water supply and provides water to 40 million people in the United States and Mexico. Drought, consumption, primarily for agriculture, and rising temperatures due to climate change have all combined to reduce that flow.
Downstream Arizona, California, and Nevada made a new proposal But the Upper Colorado River Commission criticized the proposal as too focused on the short term and not based on the reality of shrinking river flows. Chuck Cullom, the commission’s executive director, said in a statement Monday.Operations must focus on supply and adapt to the hotter, drier future we all face. ”
Without a deal, the U.S. Interior Department said it would develop its own guidelines and aim to have a plan completed by October 1. The current agreement expires at the end of the year.
You make our work possible.
support
