Farmers, ranchers and other water users in four Western states, including Colorado, are cutting back on water use because of low flows through the Colorado River Basin. 

Less than half the normal amount of water flowed into Lake Powell from the Upper Basin states — Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming — this summer. Farmers in the four-state region fallowed fields and changed their crop plans to adapt to a smaller water supply.

The dry summer conditions coincided with high-stakes negotiations over how the water supply for 40 million people will be managed starting in August 2026.  In the Upper Basin, officials are trying to emphasize the existing shortages that happen each year as natural water supplies are strained by a changing climate.

“The Upper Basin’s sacrifices aren’t abstract; they carry real human and economic consequences,” the Upper Colorado River Commission said in a news release Wednesday.

About 2.6 million acre-feet of water flowed into Lake Powell from the Upper Colorado River in April through July. That’s 41% of the average from 1991-2020, according to the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center. One acre-foot roughly equals the annual water use of two to three households. It’s enough to cover a 1-acre field in 1 foot of water.

Continue reading this story at ColoradoSun.com/2025/10/10/farmers-ranchers-colorado-river-water-use-dry-year.