# Elephant Butte Up 14% This Week, Still 71% Below the 5-Year Median _Sep 24, 2026_ > Elephant Butte Reservoir bounced to 31,826 af this week but remains 71% below the five-year median. The Rio Grande surged to 730 cfs. Colorado drought coverage holds at 86%, 45 pts above the five-year median. _Numbers as of Sep 24, 2026 pull._ Elephant Butte Reservoir recovered to **31,826 af** this week, up 14% from the prior reading, per the Bureau of Reclamation, climbing back above the 30,000 af threshold it broke below in recent weeks. Storage remains **71% below the five-year median**, the widest deficit of any tracked reservoir in the digest, as the irrigation drawdown period closes for the season. [Chart: Elephant Butte Reservoir storage](https://the-waterline.com/reservoir/elephant-butte-reservoir) ([data](https://the-waterline.com/reservoir/elephant-butte-reservoir.md) — chart image: https://the-waterline.com/charts/reservoir/elephant-butte-reservoir/chart.png) - **Rio Grande:** 730 cfs, up 1,493.9% week over week from 46 cfs, per USGS. A second Rio Grande gauge reads 746 cfs, up 189.1% on the week and 67% above the five-year median. - **Bear-Great Basin:** 817 cfs, up 283.6% week over week, 35% above the five-year median, per USGS. - **Yampa-Green:** 198 cfs, up 469.0% week over week, 22% above the five-year median, per USGS. - **Blue Mesa Reservoir:** 144,461 af, down 2% on the week and 66% below the five-year median, per the Bureau of Reclamation. The Bureau's September 15, 2026 24-Month Study puts WY 2026 Lake Powell inflows at 3.52 maf (37% of the 30-year average) and projects WY 2027 releases in the range of 6.0 to 7.0 maf under the Low Elevation Infrastructure Protection Range. - **Colorado drought:** 86% of the state in drought (D1-D4), down 2 pts on the week but 45 pts above the five-year median, per the US Drought Monitor. - **Salt-Gila:** 279 cfs, 143% above the five-year median (USGS), down 61% week over week. **Allocations (standing status):** CVP north-of-Delta contractors, including Sacramento River irrigation, M&I, Sacramento River Settlement, American River M&I and In-Delta M&I, all stand at 100%, announced Feb. 26, 2026, per the Bureau of Reclamation. SWP statewide allocation stands at 45% (revised from 30%), per DWR's May 1, 2026 announcement. No allocation changes this week. **Data note:** CVP cross-valley irrigation and CVP south-of-delta irrigation allocation series have not updated in over two weeks; those specific figures are stale. --- Canonical URL: https://the-waterline.com/issues/2026-09-24