Roaring Fork Conservancy

06/25/2026

💦 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊𝐋𝐘 𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐑𝐄𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓 💦

Today’s much needed rain is the first measurable precipitation in over a month! The cloud cover and cool temperatures brought temporary relief, but rivers in the Roaring Fork Watershed are still flowing below average at 12-28% of normal for this time of year. As a reminder, an “average” flow will register at “100% of normal” meaning rivers are currently flowing about a quarter of normal for this time of year! Before today, Red Flag Warnings and Fire Weather Watches were issued in the watershed 18 consecutive days. In comparison, the watershed has an average of eight Red Flag Warnings issued in an entire year. Pitkin, Eagle, and Garfield Counties and all public lands are entering Stage 2 fire restrictions on Friday, June 26. A vital reminder for all river recreators to clean, drain, and dry your water gear after every use and before moving river to river to prevent the spread of aquatic nuisance species like the zebra mussel and New Zealand mudsnail, both of which are in local rivers.

We thank our friends at Schindler Ferguson Law Firm for supporting our River Reports.

06/20/2026

Grizzly Reservoir Draining

Grizzly Reservoir is in the final stages of draining today. We are not anticipating any impacts at this time. Larger sediment fences are in place to help contain the 6 cfs release and the last portion of the water will not be released down Lincoln Creek but pumped to a separate holding area. If there are any issues, further notification will be sent.
CONTACT: Twin Lakes Reservoir & Canal Company: [email protected] or 719-267-4411

06/20/2026

All lands managed by the White River National Forest will be under Stage 1 Fire Restrictions beginning this Friday, June 19.

You can find the details at www.fs.usda.gov/r02/whiteriver/fire/info, but the biggest impact for people recreating on the White River National Forest is that you can only have campfires in the designated metal rings in developed campgrounds and recreation sites.

06/18/2026

💦 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊𝐋𝐘 𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐑𝐄𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓 💦

Rivers across the Roaring Fork Watershed continue to flow well below average at 15-38% of normal for this time of year. Hot air temperatures and extremely low flows are increasing stream temperatures. Over the last week, the weekly high temperature jumped by 3.6°F to 64.6°F in the Roaring Fork River in Glenwood Springs, and by 2.3°F to 62.4°F in the Roaring Fork River in Emma. Warmer water contains less dissolved oxygen, stressing aquatic organisms including trout. To protect the fishery, anglers are reminded to carry a thermometer and stop fishing when water temperatures reach 68°F. Grizzly Reservoir, located on Lincoln Creek Road, is currently being drained for maintenance work on the dam outlet structure. The reservoir will not be available for public recreation this year. Water and fire restrictions are in place throughout the Roaring Fork Watershed. Visit www.roaringfork.org/drought for details.

We thank our friends at Schindler Ferguson Law Firm for supporting our River Reports.

06/11/2026

💦 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊𝐋𝐘 𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐑𝐄𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓 💦

Rivers in the Roaring Fork Watershed continue to flow below average at 14-49% of normal for this time of year. It is likely that the Roaring Fork River in Glenwood Springs and the Crystal River in Redstone peaked on June 7 at 1,870 cfs and 980 cfs, respectively. For the Roaring Fork River, this would be the lowest peak flow on record in a 120-year dataset. The Colorado Basin River Forecast Center is forecasting flows on the Roaring Fork River in Glenwood Springs to decrease by half in the next week. Hot temperatures, four Red Flag Warnings, three Fire Weather Watch Warnings, and several wildfires have ignited since the beginning of June. Stage 1 fire restrictions are currently in place in Pitkin, Eagle, and Garfield Counties and all public lands. Local water and fire restrictions can be found at www.roaringfork.org/drought.

We thank our friends at Schindler Ferguson Law Firm for supporting our River Reports.

06/09/2026

Outdoor watering is one of the biggest drivers of summer water use. By watering less often and more efficiently we can help keep more water in our rivers and streams this summer when they need it most.
Learn more at RoaringFork.org/drought/drought-response.

06/08/2026

Widespread critical fire weather conditions are expected today, and will continue through much of this upcoming week. This means fires will catch easily and spread rapidly! High-end fire weather conditions look possible on Tuesday due to stronger wind gusts, potentially around 30 to 45 mph, if not higher in some areas.

06/05/2026

⚠️𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐬 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐨 𝐃𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐄𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 ⚠️

"Today I am issuing a statewide drought emergency to support Coloradans, our economy, farmers and ranchers, and outdoor enthusiasts in the face of one of the most severe droughts in Colorado’s recorded history.

With every county in the state experiencing drought conditions, activating Phase 3 of our Drought Response Plan allows us to better coordinate agencies, prepare for worsening conditions, and support Colorado communities, agriculture, water users, and our environment. State agencies will do their part to reduce water usage at state facilities and I encourage every Coloradan to use water wisely." - Governor Polis

Today I am issuing a statewide drought emergency to support Coloradans, our economy, farmers and ranchers, and outdoor enthusiasts in the face of one of the most severe droughts in Colorado’s recorded history.

With every county in the state experiencing drought conditions, activating Phase 3 of our Drought Response Plan allows us to better coordinate agencies, prepare for worsening conditions, and support Colorado communities, agriculture, water users, and our environment. State agencies will do their part to reduce water usage at state facilities and I encourage every Coloradan to use water wisely.

06/05/2026

⚠️𝐆𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐳𝐥𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐃𝐚𝐦 𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 ⚠️

ORDWAY, Colo. – Grizzly Reservoir in Pitkin County will be drained for dam-maintenance construction after peak runoff and will be unavailable for public recreation this year. The Portal Campground and dispersed camping along Lincoln Creek Road will remain open.

Draining is expected to begin in mid-to-late June, with work completion estimated for late October, followed by refilling in accordance with the State-approved refill plan. The reservoir is expected to be available for public recreation in the 2027 summer season.

Grizzly Reservoir is owned and operated by the Twin Lakes Reservoir and Canal Company as part of the Independence Pass Transmountain Diversion System. This year’s work is a continuation of the dam maintenance work started in 2024. Activities include construction of new dam outlet gates and completion of the waterproof liner to protect the steel face of the dam.

Construction traffic is expected on Lincoln Creek Road for the duration of the project and motorists travelling the road are advised to follow construction/traffic signage.

Based on lessons learned during the reservoir draining in 2024, the Twin Lakes Company has developed additional mitigation measures to reduce the likelihood, duration, and extent of any sediment discharges into Lincoln Creek and the Roaring Fork River during this year’s reservoir draining. Some sediment discharge and discoloration of the water in Lincoln Creek and further downstream is still possible. Any such events will be promptly communicated to Pitkin County, Roaring Fork Conservancy, Colorado Parks & Wildlife, the U.S. Forest Service, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

More information regarding the Portal campground can be found here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/whiteriver/recreation/portal-campground

More information regarding dispersed camping on Lincoln Creek Road can be found here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/whiteriver/recreation/lincoln-creek-dispersed-camping

𝘛𝘸𝘪𝘯 𝘓𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘰 𝘚𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘜𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘗𝘶𝘦𝘣𝘭𝘰 𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘗𝘶𝘦𝘣𝘭𝘰 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵, 𝘈𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘳𝘢 𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴.

City of Aspen Government U.S. Forest Service - White River National Forest Pitkin County Healthy Rivers Pitkin County Government

06/04/2026

"Some day in the next 12 months – maybe in late-August, maybe not until next spring – Lake Mead will drop below the critical threshold of 1,035 feet above sea level.

That is the water-level elevation at which hydropower generating capacity at Hoover Dam, the largest in the Colorado River basin, will be cut by 70 percent. The drastic and immediate reduction in a cheap source of power that is responsive to hourly changes in electricity demand will have consequences for the region’s power customers and the broader electric grid alike.

Water managers have known for at least a year and a half that elevation 1,035 feet will be a problem for Hoover’s hydropower. Twelve of the dam’s 17 turbines are not designed to operate in low-water conditions that would be present when Mead is below that level. After record-low winter runoff into already-depleted reservoirs, water managers now know that the day of reckoning is coming soon.

“We’re going to go to 1,035,” Tom Buschatzke, director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources, said at a meeting in mid-May. “There’s no question that’s going to happen.”

Explore the critical threshold for hydropower at Hoover Dam as Lake Mead's water levels approach a significant drop.