Elephant Butte Down 24% on the Week, 54% Below the 5-Year Median

Elephant Butte Reservoir storage fell to 69,686 af this week, down 24% from the prior reading, per US Bureau of Reclamation data. The reservoir now sits 54% below the 5-year median for this date. The drawdown arrives during peak irrigation demand on the lower Rio Grande system.

• Blue Mesa Reservoir (Colorado): 287,544 af, down 5% on the week and 50% below the 5-year median per Bureau of Reclamation. Upper Colorado storage remains well below normal through the heart of irrigation season.
• Rio Grande (tracked gauge): 0.0 cfs per USGS. No flow at the gauge this period, compounding pressure on Elephant Butte as the primary storage buffer for lower-basin deliveries.
• Bear-Great Basin streamflow: 407 cfs, up 118% on the week and 173% above the 5-year median per USGS. A strong late-season outlier on the high side.
• Colorado drought: 93% of the state's area in D1-D4 drought per the US Drought Monitor, down 4 pts on the week and still 51 pts above the 5-year median for this date.
• Wyoming drought: 100% D1-D4 coverage per the US Drought Monitor, unchanged on the week and 50 pts above the 5-year median.
• San Joaquin Valley counties: Fresno, Kern, Kings and Merced counties each at 0% drought coverage per the US Drought Monitor, ranging from 38 to 99 pts better than their 5-year medians for this date.

Allocation status:

All tracked CVP contractor classes stand at 100% of contract per the US Bureau of Reclamation (announced Feb. 26, standing status). SWP contractors stand at 45% per the California Department of Water Resources (announced May 1, standing status). No allocation changes this week.

Data note: The CVP data series has not updated in more than two weeks. The 100% allocation figures above reflect last reported status, not a confirmed current reading.