Headwaters

Live crisis dashboard

The numbers, in one place

Data as of September 1, 2026 — this page is rebuilt periodically, not live-fetched. See "Sources & refresh" at the bottom for where each figure comes from and how to check for something newer.

Colorado River

Colorado carries no mandatory cuts under the August 2026 Record of Decision — but the reservoirs both states draw from are at record lows regardless. Headwater leverage protects Colorado's allocation on paper; it does not refill the reservoir.

Lake Mead elevation
1,038.87 ft
~26% full — the lowest since the reservoir first filled in 1941. Hit Aug 29, 2026.
Lake Powell elevation
3,517.87 ft
~28 ft above the 3,490 ft minimum power pool (Aug 31, 2026) — down from a ~55 ft margin a year earlier.
Combined system storage
~23%
Roughly 12.25 of 53.28 MAF of total possible storage.

Why this matters: Lake Powell's minimum power pool is the elevation below which Glen Canyon Dam can no longer generate hydropower — and the structural research behind this project (Navajo Sandstone foundation, River Outlet Works cavitation, the 1983 near-failure) gets more load-bearing, not less, as that margin compresses.

Denver Water

Independent of the compact fight — Denver's system runs on in-state snowpack and transmountain diversion, not the interstate allocation.

Drought stage
Stage 1
Declared March 25, 2026 — first Stage 1 in 13 years. Lawn watering ends entirely Oct 1, 2026.
Collection-system streamflow
22% of normal
April–July 2026 — the lowest since recordkeeping began 110 years ago.
Reservoir storage
72–73%
Late August 2026, vs. a 94% historic median for this date.

Why this matters: a "Stage 1" label reads as mild next to Stage 2/3/4, but the underlying streamflow number — 22% of normal — is the worst on record. 20+ Front Range cities are under mandatory restrictions; some (Eagle River communities) are already at indoor-only watering.

Xcel rate cases

Electric (25AL-0494E)
4.4% ↑
$157M, down from Xcel's $356M ask. Effective Aug 29, 2026, pending written decision.
Gas (25AL-0538G)
Decision pending
Settlement asks 8.6% ($122.7M) — above both Staff's and the Utility Consumer Advocate's independent recommendations. Decision expected Q4 2026.
Electric rate growth
+22.2%
Since September 2023, per PUC staff's own figure — over 3x the inflation rate.

Why this matters: the PUC cutting Xcel's electric ask by more than half is not evidence the system protects ratepayers — the initial ask was disciplined downward from egregious to merely bad. The gas case is still open for public comment; see Campaigns.

Sources & refresh

This dashboard does not fetch live data — it's a static page, rebuilt by hand on a rolling basis, per the "no backend for first launch" decision. For anything more current than the date above, go direct to the source rather than trusting this page: