Blue Mesa Reservoir, the largest in Colorado and an emergency savings bank for Lake Powell, has been on a crash course with critically low water levels this summer, the kind that halt power production and keep dam managers up at night. Officials have stepped in to cut dam releases and restrict water use, but they’re still facing grim possibilities if more rain doesn’t start falling soon. The expansive federal reservoir stretches for nearly 30 miles between the city of Gunnison and Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. But it’s not just a scenic lake — it’s part of the plumbing of the West. Water experts say Blue Mesa serves as a proxy for Colorado’s water conditions and conditions in Lake Powell, an immense reservoir on the Utah-Arizona border. This year, it’s a clear demonstration of the record dry conditions straining water and renewable power supplies across the West.

Other Colorado River management news:

• The Colorado Sun (Denver): Colorado River hits “bleak” new low in Palisade, straining water supplies for fish and farms
• KJZZ (Phoenix): Amid a Colorado River feud, water leaders ask if Arizona should keep paying for faraway snow
• The Arizona Republic (Phoenix): Ariz. pushes for smaller Colorado River cuts as feds finalize water plan
• ABC15 (Phoenix): Phoenix lawyers up for Colorado River water fight
• Arizona Daily Star (Tucson, Ariz.): Some in 4 states to be paid to use less Colorado River water
• KAWC (Yuma, Ariz.): Yuma water attorney following Colorado River negotiations
• Cowboy State Daily (Cheyenne, Wyo.): Legislators warned that states must talk or face lawsuits over Colorado River
• Deseret News (Salt Lake City): Are there winners and losers in the battle over the Colorado River?