Dolores River Drops 74% on the Week to 9.8 cfs

Dolores River flow fell to 9.8 cfs this week, down 74% on the week and 89% below the 5-year median (USGS). That is the furthest-below-normal reading of any tracked site this week. Colorado drought coverage stands at 91%, 56 pts above the 5-year median (US Drought Monitor), unchanged week over week.

• Blue Mesa Reservoir (Bureau of Reclamation): 221,055 af, down 5% week over week and 56% below the 5-year median. The drawdown continues through peak irrigation season.
• Yampa River: 26 cfs, down 43% week over week and 82% below the 5-year median (USGS). The upper-basin reading is well below normal heading into late season.
• Elephant Butte Reservoir (Bureau of Reclamation): 27,118 af, up 1% on the week. Storage has leveled off after weeks of sharp declines but remains 75% below the 5-year median during active irrigation season.
• Central Valley counties: Fresno, Kern, Kings, Stanislaus and Tulare counties each show 0% D1+ drought coverage (US Drought Monitor). Kings County is 99 pts below its 5-year median for this period, consistent with the absence of drought across the San Joaquin Valley this summer.

Allocations (standing status)

• CVP north-of-Delta contracts stand at 100% across Sacramento River irrigation, M&I, settlement, American River M&I and In-Delta M&I categories, announced February 26, 2026 (Bureau of Reclamation).
• SWP statewide stands at 45%, announced May 1, 2026 (Department of Water Resources).

Data note: Two CVP data series have not updated in over two weeks. Figures from those series should be treated as stale.