June 8, 2026

THIS IS A PROBLEM: The Colorado River’s largest reservoirs are heading toward a ‘system crash,’ experts warn.

Colorado River experts and decision makers gathered in Boulder, Colorado, this week to discuss the future of the water supply for 40 million people across the Southwest. At the registration table, a new white paper set the tone for the conference at the Colorado Law School: “Colorado River Basin Storage Continues Slide Toward System Crash.”

If the Colorado River Basin has another dry year, even if water consumption is at or near historic lows, Lake Powell and Lake Mead will likely drop to levels that could threaten dam infrastructure and downstream deliveries to major southwest cities and agriculture hubs at the start of the 2028 water year, according to the paper co-authored by Colorado River experts.

If next year is more similar to a heavy snow year like 2023, then the nation’s two largest reservoirs would recover to an extent, but that cushion would likely only last for about two years, the paper says.

“We’re going to have to work harder to save water than we have ever worked before in the 21st century,” said Jack Schmidt, one of the paper’s co-authors, in an interview before the conference.

Previously, a possible solution:

Posted at 11:40 am by Stephen Green