Click the link to read the article on the KJCT website (Robbie Patla). Here’s an excerpt:
May 5, 2026
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KJCT) — The Colorado River is flowing at record-low depths, raising concerns for water providers and consumers across the Western Slope. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Colorado River below the Grand Valley Diversion near Palisade reached a maximum depth of 9.91 feet in June 2024. As of 12:00 a.m. May 4, the peak depth was recorded at 2.92 feet, flowing at 240 cubic feet per second. Mesa County is in an exceptional drought, according to the Drought Response Information Project (DRIP). Exceptional drought is the most severe category, where shortages of water could create water emergencies. Ty Jones, district manager of Clifton Water District, said the river is flowing at less than a fourth of what it was in 2025. He said the region is in uncharted territory…
“We’re seeing things never seen before, in all the records that we’ve kept in the last 100 plus years,” Jones said. “I mean, we’ve not seen that here in the valley.”
He believes they’ve already seen high flows in the river back in March, when it usually happens in June. The city of Clifton primarily gets its water from the Colorado River, either pumped directly from the stream or fed through Grand Valley Irrigation. If the irrigation system runs out of water, Jones said residents may turn to treated drinking water for their lawns, which could put constraints on treatment plants.
“Our treatment plants can’t handle that demand if everybody starts wanting to water their lawns with our water,” he said.