Wet water, not paper water.

Reservoir storage, basin rollups, drought class and allocations, pulled from the public record every day and compared to what is normal. One brief a week. No forecasts, no spin.

Data through Sep 30, 2026 · updated Oct 1, 2026

Latest issue · Oct 1, 2026

San Luis Reservoir at 1.47M af, 45% Above the Five-Year Median

San Luis Reservoir stands at 1.47M af as water year 2027 opens, 45% above its five-year median. Salt-Gila streamflow surged to 10,800 cfs, up 3,771% on the week. Oroville fell 5% to 1.63M af.

Read the brief →

Furthest below normal

All reservoirs →

Elephant Butte Reservoir water level

Live reservoir storage and water level in Rio Grande basin, New Mexico

31,826 af · Sep 23, 2026

-71% vs 5-yr median

Blue Mesa Reservoir water level

Live reservoir storage and water level in Gunnison-Colorado basin, Colorado

144,461 af · Sep 23, 2026

-66% vs 5-yr median

Gunnison River below Gunnison Tunnel streamflow

Daily mean discharge, Gunnison-Colorado basin, Colorado

210 cfs · Sep 30, 2026

-53% vs 5-yr median

Lake Powell water level

Live reservoir storage and water level in Colorado (Upper) basin, Arizona / Utah

5.13M af · Sep 23, 2026

-30% vs 5-yr median

Colorado River near Cisco streamflow

Daily mean discharge, Colorado (Upper) basin, Utah

2,590 cfs · Sep 30, 2026

-28% vs 5-yr median

Yampa River near Maybell streamflow

Daily mean discharge, Yampa-Green basin, Colorado

104 cfs · Sep 30, 2026

-24% vs 5-yr median

Boysen Reservoir water level

Live reservoir storage and water level in Wind-Bighorn-Missouri basin, Wyoming

492,554 af · Sep 23, 2026

-23% vs 5-yr median

Boise River at Glenwood Bridge streamflow

Daily mean discharge, Boise-Snake basin, Idaho

389 cfs · Sep 30, 2026

-23% vs 5-yr median

The West on one map

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Drought by state, storage at each dam — color is condition vs the 5-yr median. Explore the full map →

The data

Reservoirs

Storage vs the historical normal for major western reservoirs.

Drought

Drought by western state, week over week, with the counties we track on each state's page.

Allocations

CVP and SWP allocation announcements, as they land.

Streamflow

Daily mean discharge at basin-representative gauges.

Snowpack

Snow water equivalent vs the 1991-2020 median, by state and river basin.