- Over 1,700 acre-feet released since July 25.
- Program delays the earliest Yampa River call in history.
- Releases support agriculture and endangered fish habitat.
- Officials warn of rising drought and water security threats.
Thursday, August 28, 2025 –– On July 25, 2025, the Colorado River District, in partnership with the Colorado Water Trust and the Yampa River Fund, began releasing water from Elkhead Reservoir to bolster the Yampa River during an exceptionally dry summer. As of August 25, daily releases ranging from 20 to 40 cubic feet per second had provided more than 1,700 acre-feet of water downstream.
The effort is part of the Yampa River Reservoir Release Program
, established in 2021 with a dedicated 2,000-acre-foot pool of water. Funded through the Colorado River District’s Community Funding Partnership, the program is designed to reduce the impacts of drought on agriculture while also supporting aquatic ecosystems.
Colorado River District Chief Engineer Hunter Causey explained that without these releases, stretches of the Yampa River below Maybell might have run completely dry this summer. “This is how we can help local agricultural producers do what they do best which is produce the food and fiber we all depend on,” Causey said.
Local ranchers echoed this view. Mike Camblin, who operates Camblin Livestock near Maybell, said the supplemental flows made the difference in being able to harvest a hay crop. “We have a really good group of people in this valley who are able to work on this together, and it’s a relationship we need to continue,” Camblin said.
Early River Call Highlights Water Stress.
Drought conditions intensified through July, forcing the Colorado Division of Water Resources to place a call on the Yampa River on July 24—the earliest on record. The call, which requires upstream users to curtail water use to satisfy downstream senior rights, was lifted July 30. Program managers credited the Elkhead releases with delaying the call for several weeks, which allowed producers to finish irrigating critical crops.
Blake Mamich, Programs Director for the Colorado Water Trust, noted that close coordination with water users delayed the call by more than a month. “Together with the River District, and by closely coordinating with water users and stakeholders, we’ve been able to support river habitat and consumptive users by delaying a call on the river,” Mamich said.
Broader Support for River Health.
Along with Elkhead Reservoir, water from Stagecoach Reservoir near Oak Creek is being released to benefit fish habitat and recreational opportunities in Steamboat Springs. Both reservoirs play a critical role in keeping water flowing during dry years and in supporting the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program.
The Yampa River winds from the Flattop Mountains and Gore Range through high desert terrain before joining the Green River in Dinosaur National Monument. The basin contains habitat for four endangered fish species, adding another layer of importance to maintaining streamflow.
Rising Concerns Over Drought and Security.
Officials note that climate change, shrinking snowpack, and long-term aridification are making conditions like this summer’s drought more frequent and more severe. The Colorado River District, created in 1937 to safeguard West Slope water, continues to warn of mounting threats to water supplies across the basin.
The district has emphasized that water scarcity is not only an agricultural and ecological issue, but also a matter of infrastructure and security. Recent Environmental Protection Agency assessments point to rising cyber threats against water systems nationwide, underscoring the vulnerability of both physical and digital water resources at a time when every drop is increasingly vital.
Image:
Confluence of the Green and Yampa Rivers, Dinosaur National Monument, Colorado
. P L Bechly, November 2018. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
