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Water Watch · Conditions board

Western water conditions

Reservoirs, aquifers, spot prices, allocations, and active curtailment across the six major western systems. Each reading is copied from its primary source with the date it was taken. Nothing here is modeled or extrapolated.

By WaterLeases Editors·Updated September 1, 2026·Every figure sourced
Colorado River Basin

System at 32 percent of capacity; Lake Mead set an all-time record low on August 7

Basin page
Lake Mead elevation27% of capacity; record low 1,040.50 ft on Aug 7
1,039.27 ftAug 23, 2026
Lake Powell elevation22% of capacity
3,518.79 ftAug 23, 2026
Total system contents22,263 kaf (38%) one year earlier
18,453 kaf (32%)Aug 23, 2026
WY2026 Powell inflow forecastApril to July observed: 18% of normal
37% of normalAug 3, 2026
2027 Lower Basin reductionAZ 760,000 · CA 440,000 · NV 50,000
1.25 million AFAug 21, 2026
Recent briefs
Sources
Rio Grande Basin

Elephant Butte at 1.4 percent, lowest since 1971; a second critically low year expected in 2027

Basin page
Elephant Butte storage74,254 AF (3.8%) one year earlier
27,461 AF (1.4%)Aug 27, 2026
EBID 2026 allotmentFull wet-year allotment is 2 AF per acre
4 inches per acreAug 23, 2026
2026 Caballo releaseThird lowest on record
≈ 216,000 AFAug 23, 2026
NM depletion cut (decree)Within 10 years, half within 5; $150M purchase program
18,200 AF/yrMay 26, 2026
Recent briefs
Sources
Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer

Aquifer down 600,000 acre feet this year; curtailment junior to October 11, 1900 remains in force

Basin page
ESPA volume change, 2026329 monitoring wells; ~100,000 AF below 2015
-600,000 AFAug 26, 2026
Upper Snake reservoir systemDid not fill in 2025 or 2026; carryover on pace to be very low
18% of capacityAug 26, 2026
Curtailment in forceOrder of May 14; ~930 rights not under a plan
Junior to Oct 11, 1900Jul 22, 2026
Heise June to July forecast900,000 AF unregulated flow
≈ 50% of normalJul 22, 2026
Water Supply Bank rate90% to the owner
$33 / AFJan 1, 2025
Recent briefs
Sources
Edwards Aquifer

San Antonio Pool in Stage 2 (30 percent) and within three feet of Stage 3; Uvalde Pool unrestricted

Basin page
J-17 (San Antonio Pool)10-day average 642.9; Stage 3 trigger < 640
643.6 ftSep 1, 2026
J-27 (Uvalde Pool)10-day average 851.4
851.6 ftSep 1, 2026
Comal Springs
181 cfsSep 1, 2026
San Marcos Springs
109 cfsSep 1, 2026
San Antonio Pool stage
Stage 2, 30% reductionAug 6, 2026
Uvalde Pool stageFirst unrestricted status since June 2022
No stage, 0%Aug 11, 2026
Recent briefs
Sources
Central Valley (California)

Full carryover storage, no snowpack; spot water rising into September

Basin page
NQH2O spot indexPrior week $505.85 (+5.94%)
$535.91 / AFAug 26, 2026
CVP south-of-Delta, agricultureBegan the year at 15%
28%Aug 13, 2026
State Water Project (Table A)Began the year at 10%
45%May 15, 2026
Shasta
59% (96% of avg)Aug 27, 2026
Oroville
60% (97% of avg)Aug 27, 2026
San Luis
61% (157% of avg)Aug 27, 2026
Snowpack18% of average on April 1
None (12% of avg on May 15)May 15, 2026
Recent briefs
Sources
Ogallala (High Plains) Aquifer

Kansas rose for the first time since 2019; Texas and Nebraska kept declining

Basin page
Kansas High Plains, 2025First rise since 2019; GMD 3 still -0.62 ft
+0.2 ftApr 2, 2026
Texas HPWD district, 202651 ft average saturated thickness
-0.57 ftFeb 1, 2026
Nebraska statewide, 2026 report62% of ~5,000 wells declined
-0.29 ftApr 1, 2026
Eight-state average since predevelopmentUSGS SIR 2023-5143, published Feb 2024
-16.5 ftDec 31, 2019
Recent briefs
Sources

Article Sources

WaterLeases requires every market figure to trace to a public primary source: state agencies, published indices, official notices, or named reporting. Read our data and methodology standards.

  1. Bureau of Reclamation, Boulder Canyon Operations Office. Weekly Hydrologic Update.
  2. U.S. Department of the Interior. 2027 and 2028 Colorado River operations.
  3. Water Data For Texas / Bureau of Reclamation. Elephant Butte Reservoir.
  4. Organ Mountain News, August 23, 2026. EBID 2027 planning.
  5. IDWR news release, August 26, 2026. ESPA volume update.
  6. Water District 1. Watermaster report, August 26, 2026.
  7. IDWR, July 22, 2026. Mid-Summer Methodology Order.
  8. Edwards Aquifer Authority. Daily readings (provisional).
  9. Edwards Aquifer Authority. Critical Period Management.
  10. Nasdaq. Nasdaq Veles California Water Index (NQH2O).
  11. California Data Exchange Center. Daily reservoir storage summary.
  12. Western Water, August 12, 2026. Reclamation raises the 2026 CVP allocation.
  13. California Department of Water Resources, May 15, 2026. SWP allocation to 45 percent; snowpack 12 percent of average.
  14. Kansas Geological Survey, April 2, 2026.
  15. High Plains Underground Water Conservation District No. 1. 2026 water level measurements.
  16. University of Nebraska–Lincoln. 2026 statewide groundwater-level report.
  17. USGS SIR 2023-5143.

Frequently asked questions

How current are these readings?

Each reading shows its own as-of date, taken from the primary release: Reclamation weekly updates, agency news releases, the Edwards Aquifer Authority daily board, CDEC, and the Nasdaq index page. Readings are replaced when the source publishes a new value, and the page carries the most recent date at the top.

Why does the dashboard mix reservoirs, aquifers, prices, and legal status?

Because that is what determines what a water right is worth this season. A reservoir level sets project allocations, an aquifer trend sets curtailment pressure, an index sets the spot price, and a curtailment order or drought stage sets what a permit actually delivers. Owners need all four on one screen.

Can I cite these figures?

Yes, with the primary source listed under each basin. WaterLeases publishes nothing without a public source, and the dashboard is designed to be quoted with its dates attached.

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