Utah communities and farmers are grappling with significant water cuts as a record drought continues to impact the Colorado River basin, according to reports from the Upper Colorado River Commission on Sept. 15, 2026. While the Utah Division of Water Resources maintains the river remains a reliable source for the state, local producers in Emery County have reported losing up to 70% of their expected harvest due to the lack of available water.
Agricultural Impact in Emery County
Severe shortages are being felt across the state, particularly in agricultural areas where water availability has plummeted. In Ferron, an Emery County community, the local canal company was forced to cut water shares for farmers, the city, and the Hunter Power Plant by 75% this year. The Ferron Creek, which serves the area, was described as a trickle compared to its usual flow.
Farmers Face Crop Losses
The impact on local producers has been profound. Brooks Behling, a farmer in Ferron, reported in August 2026 that he was only able to irrigate about half of his farm this year, with those fields receiving only half of their ideal water supply. As a result, Behling estimated his total harvest for the year would likely be only 30% of a normal yield.
Tracy Behling, the 42-year president of the Ferron Canal and Reservoir Company and father of Brooks Behling, noted that while the region has experienced lean years previously, the current situation is by far the worst. The Behlings, like many other farmers, have had to fallow fields without receiving any financial compensation for the lost crops.
Regional Water Shortages
The drought's reach extends beyond Emery County into the Uintah Basin. During a meeting of the Upper Colorado River Commission on Sept. 15, 2026, Utah’s Colorado River commissioner Gene Shawcroft stated that senior water rights holders in the Uintah Basin have also seen their water deliveries cut back.
Shawcroft described the situation as incredibly discouraging, noting that the water simply was not there. Echoing these concerns, Colorado’s Colorado River commissioner Becky Mitchell said during the same meeting that while there is hope for better conditions next year, the commission must prepare for continued uncertainty.
Reservoir Management Strategies
To address these supply issues, the Upper Basin commissioners approved a plan for ongoing water releases from Flaming Gorge through April 2027. These releases are intended to maintain critical elevations at Lake Powell. Current projections suggest these drought response releases will help keep Lake Powell above an elevation of 3,500 feet through April 2027.
Chuck Cullom, director of the Upper Colorado River Commission, noted that the Bureau of Reclamation is expected to have sent 450,000 acre-feet in additional releases from Flaming Gorge by the end of September 2026. The plan includes an additional 550,000 acre-feet through the end of April 2027. As of the September meeting, Flaming Gorge was reported to be 70% full.
Conservation and Funding Efforts
In addition to reservoir releases, the federal government has awarded $100 million in funds to the Upper Basin states for water conservation projects. Utah plans to use its portion of these funds to transition its Demand Management Program out of its pilot phase. This program pays water users to voluntarily and temporarily send a portion of their water downstream to Lake Powell.
However, achieving conservation goals has proven difficult during dry years. The Colorado River Authority of Utah anticipated that one project in the Demand Management Program would conserve 4,500 acre-feet this year, but it was only able to send 900 acre-feet downstream due to low water flows. Marc Stilson, principal engineer for the Colorado River Authority of Utah, explained that the goal is to build a block of water in Lake Powell to serve as a buffer in case of future mandatory curtailment calls.
Historical Reliability and Projections
Despite the current crisis, the Utah Division of Water Resources has historically maintained that the Colorado River is a reliable source for the state. Eric Millis, director of the Utah Division of Water Resources, has stated that the state works closely with federal partners and other basin states to plan for future needs and mitigate potential impacts through drought contingency plans.
Data from a 2012 Bureau of Reclamation Colorado River Basin Study highlighted the river's historical reliability, noting that in the ten years preceding that study, the Upper Basin states delivered 17 million acre-feet more than required by the Colorado River Compact. While modeling from the Bureau of Reclamation in August 2018 suggested a low risk of a Compact shortage through 2050 under historical hydrology, more recent projections suggest that if future conditions resemble the drier, hotter patterns of the last 30 years, the risk of a declared shortage rises to less than 13 percent through 2050.
Future Water Development Plans
Utah currently receives 23 percent of the Colorado River water supply available to the Upper Basin. The state uses approximately 72 percent of the current annual reliable supply of 1.4 million acre-feet, including evaporation and system loss.
As the state looks toward the future, there is ongoing work to advance the permitting for the Lake Powell Pipeline, which would transport 86,249 acre-feet of water from Lake Powell to Washington and Kane counties to meet projected needs in southwest Utah. The Utah Board of Water Resources maintains that the state's right to develop this water is equal to the rights of all other 1922 Compact signatory states.
