The highest level for Lake Powell was at 3,708 feet above sea level in 1983 (full pool is 3,700 feet). The level in February 2026 is 3,533 feet. This is 25% of full pool. It has dropped 32 feet from last year. 3,500 feet is the minimum power pool elevation. (Releases from Lake Powell are designed to be through the turbines generating electricity.) The level drops faster as the lake drops since the cross section becomes smaller. Upstream reservoirs have already been drained to try to keep the lake level from dropping too fast. The winter of 2025 - 2026 is shaping up to be one of the worst snow packs recorded for the Colorado River basin. There are lower bypass tunnels which were recently repaired that can release water down to 3,370 feet which is where dead pool is reached.
The two main reasons for Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell (which is technically a reservoir) are to generate electricity for the Central Arizona Project to pump water from the lower Colorado River to Phoenix and Tucson and as an accounting measure between the upper and lower basin states. As the lake drops the amount of power generation also drops. The upper basin states wanted to have a way to retain water allocated to them that they were not using so that the lower basin states would not be able to use it and later claim it for themselves. The dam provides a way to regulate the amount of water delivered to the lower basin states. Lake Powell does not deliver a significant amount of water to users; Lake Mead serves that purpose for the lower basin states. Glen Canyon Dam was built after David Brower and the Sierra Club successfully fought against building a dam in Dinosaur National Monument. As Lake Powell drops it makes more sense to drain the water and fill Lake Mead which would increase power generation and lower evaporation. Upper basin states could still store water in reservoirs further upstream that are at higher and cooler elevations and have less evaporation. While it makes a lot of sense to drain Lake Powell once it approaches a level where it can no longer generate electricity the reality will be hard to face and it may take a while before such a decision is made.
Flow rates for the Colorado River changed dramatically once Glen Canyon Dam was built. Instead of high flows in the spring and low flows in the fall and winter the flows are relatively constant year round and fluctuate daily so that more electricity can be generated during the day. River runners have made tables showing when daytime flows will reach different places in the canyon so they can plan on water levels for a rapid or how to tie up their rafts. The current flow rates are based on what is best for generating electricity. As Lake Powell drops that will no longer be so important. Management of flow rates may change dramatically once electricity generation is no longer viable.
The management plan for the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon assumes a relatively constant flow rate year round. Trip lengths are based on the amount of demand for each season but do not consider flow rates that may make it difficult to meet the required trip length. The types of boats used in the Grand Canyon assume sufficient flow. Lack of beaches at higher flows is not considered. Planning a trip without knowing what the flow rate will be is going to be a lot different than with relatively constant flow rates. The management plan will have to be updated to consider flow rates although this will be difficult without knowing how the flow rates will be managed.
The current management plan reflects the priorities of groups that were most organized while the plans were being drafted. While the most obvious is the divide between commercial and noncommercial there are others, such as nonprofit organizations, that are left out entirely. For example, national river organizations, environmental groups and science groups are forced to contract with a commercial company or join the do-it-yourself lottery because there is no allocation for them despite historical usage. The noncommercial boaters have not been very organized in the past and their needs and wants are considered less important than the commercial companies. When noncommercial boaters have tried to organize the commercial companies have worked to sabotage those efforts. If the noncommercial boaters want to be a part of writing a new management plan they will have to come to some type of consensus amongst themselves and organize to get them considered in the management plan.
Access is one of the most important considerations for noncommercial boaters. They have had to endure things like a waiting list that stretched to more than two decades to get on the river. One of the most important factors determining how many groups can be on the river are the number of beaches available. Beaches have been eroding since the sediment is trapped behind the dam and the constant flow below the dam erodes the beaches. High flow experiments have been conducted to try to move sand in the channel up onto the beaches. Returning to high flows in the spring and lower flow rates in other parts of the year will probably help in building back beaches. If the sediment behind the dam is released there will be a lot of beaches that will make it easier for more groups to be on the river without having conflicts over them. Smaller groups will increase the number of beaches that can be used for camping. The other consideration is keeping the number of contacts between groups low to avoid a sense of crowding. Even with few groups on the river a group can have a lot of contacts if the groups ahead of them are slower and the groups behind them are faster but the average experience can be managed to limit the number of contacts to a desired level. One of the most important factors is keeping the speed of the groups similar. On the wilderness section of the Chama, which is an overnight trip, two of us paddled wildwater boats before permits were required on that section of river. It took us three hours to get to the takeout. We saw every group on the river or in a camp. It sure seemed more crowded than if we were in slower boats. And they saw us although we were moving fast enough they could miss us. Having trip lengths of five days and sixteen days in the Grand Canyon is going to create a lot of contacts. Just requiring a minimum and maximum trip length will keep trips traveling at similar speeds. River Runners for Wilderness provides a Grand Canyon Trip Simulator so that you can play around with some of the parameters. How often do groups find their planned camp occupied and how many times do they find occupied camps before they find an available camp? How do contacts between groups passing each other vary with usage? If the flow rates vary by season then the trip lengths should be based on the flow rates so they are shorter at high water levels and longer at low water levels. Many of the contacts are at attraction sites such as Deer Creek and Elves Chasm. Usage at these attraction sites are so high that it is impacting them. More user days and less users each year will reduce the impacts on these places. This may mean not getting a trip every year but trips will have more time in the canyon. It will also increase the quality of the trip. The National Park Service limits the number of people at high visitation sites in their parks. The Bureau of Land Management limits numbers at sites such as The Wave in order to provide a high quality experience even though they are not as focused on high quality experiences as the national parks.
The Grand Canyon is a special place and it should be managed to provide an appropriate experience. The river and backcountry of the Park are managed for wilderness values but the river has some identified nonconforming uses such as motors and excessively large group sizes on concessionaire trips. For a lot of people this is the closest experience they will ever have to a wilderness experience. Native fish populations are endangered and there are other environmental impacts from the dam. The lower part of the Grand Canyon can feel like the middle of the Vietnam War with all of the helicopters. The National Park Service should enter into joint management of the river with tribes such as the Hualapai so that the canyon is protected and local residents can benefit from the management. The tribe should share in the revenue from river runners for using their beaches and the park service should have a say about how the lower canyon is managed to preserve the overall experience. Historically there were three main resupply points along the Colorado River. One was at Phantom Ranch, another at Whitmore Wash, and a third at Diamond Creek. The Hualapai already operate the access at Diamond Creek so closing Whitmore Wash will reduce helicopter impact at the river in this location. Groups that want a shorter trip in the Grand Canyon can use the access point at Diamond Creek.
Four stroke motors are now required instead of two stroke motors but any management plan should consider the elimination of motors altogether. The river concessionaires obtained additional user days to transition to motor-free watercraft in 1979. It’s high time they proceed with that transfer. If there is a minimum trip length there should be less need for fast trips enabled by big motors.
These ideas are just a starting point to get you thinking. How are you going to get your ideas heard? One person will find it difficult but organizing into a group that forms a consensus is much more likely to be considered. As we are approaching dead pool for Lake Powell it is time to start thinking about how the river should be managed. All user groups should have a say and have access and not be skewed to serve the interests of just one group. The user experience should match the resource to provide a high quality trip that is deserving of one managed by the National Park Service.