Fontenelle Reservoir About Half-Full As Downstream States Demand More Water

As downstream states along the Colorado River clamor for more water, Wyoming’s Fontenelle Reservoir sits at just 49% of capacity—despite near-average inflows this March. The low levels have locals worried that their reservoir could be next in line for a major drawdown, following a planned release of up to one million acre-feet from Flaming Gorge Reservoir over the next year.

Flaming Gorge’s drawdown is intended to prop up Lake Powell, which—together with Lake Mead—supplies the Lower Basin states of Arizona, Nevada, and California. So far, federal officials say Fontenelle is not part of that plan. Bureau of Reclamation spokesperson Jennifer Erickson notes that Fontenelle’s low levels stem from lower-than-average snowpack and inflow last water year, not from downstream demands. Spring inflow forecasts for this year are “much below average.”

But that has not eased the anxiety of residents like Elizabeth Buschelman of La Barge. She says the upper end of Fontenelle is already down to the river channel, and the main boat ramp may be unusable this year. “I’m tired of robbing Peter to pay Powell,” she says, adding that her grandchildren in Bridger Valley now face lawn-watering restrictions. “We’re not talking about a cup that’s half-full. We’re talking about a cup that’s a quarter-full, and they still want to take more.”

The underlying tension is rooted in the 1922 Colorado River Compact, which allocates water among seven states. Wyoming is entitled to about 14% of the Upper Basin’s share but currently uses only about 11%. The compact was written when annual river flows averaged roughly 20 million acre-feet. Today, the long-term average at the river’s mouth has dropped to 15-16 million acre-feet, and recent years have seen just 12-13 million.

For now, fishing remains good. Paul Ulrich, a Pinedale-area angling guide, says flows from Fontenelle are “reasonably OK.” But he warns that without significant precipitation in the coming months, “we all know we’re going to have real problems.” He and other anglers are closely watching the Flaming Gorge drawdown, fearing its ripple effects upstream.

No formal plan exists to tap Fontenelle for downstream relief. But as drought persists and the Colorado River’s math grows more desperate, residents along Wyoming’s headwaters are left wondering: how long before their half-full reservoir becomes the next bargaining chip?