Blue Mesa Reservoir Water Level Today - 7,418.62 ft, 19.8% Full

Blue Mesa Dam · Gunnison River · Colorado - updated daily from official gauges

Western Reservoir Conditions·Daily·No. 47·Tuesday, September 8, 2026·Latest reading September 7, 2026

• Blue Mesa Reservoir is 19.8% full - very low on this site's capacity scale - as of September 7, 2026. Surface elevation 7,418.62 feet, storage 163,931 acre-feet (capacity basis 827,472 acre-feet), per U.S. Bureau of Reclamation gauge data.
• That elevation is its lowest September reading in a record going back to 1965, and 0.00 feet above its record low of 7,418.62 ft (September 7, 2026, the lowest since the reservoir first filled), in a daily record going back to November 30, 1965 (Reclamation's period of record for this daily series).
• Storage is 26% of the September 7 average across 60 years of record.
• Blue Mesa Reservoir is falling: elevation changed -3.46 ft over the past week, -14.06 ft over the past month, and -53.77 ft over the past year, per U.S. Bureau of Reclamation gauge data.

Blue Mesa Reservoir is within 0.00 feet of the lowest surface elevation in its daily record, set on September 7, 2026.

Blue Mesa Reservoir vs its record low

In the daily record used by this site (going back to November 30, 1965 (Reclamation's period of record for this daily series)), Blue Mesa Reservoir's lowest surface elevation since it first filled (first near-full reading 1969) was 7,418.62 feet on September 7, 2026, when storage was 163,931 acre-feet. As of September 7, 2026, Blue Mesa Reservoir is at 7,418.62 feet - 0.00 feet above that record. The record high in the same series was 7,519.64 ft on July 8, 1970.

Blue Mesa Reservoir storage in context

Blue Mesa Reservoir water level, past 12 months

19.8% full at the latest reading - across the past 12 months it ranged from 19.8% (September 7, 2026) to 54.1% (September 7, 2025). Percent full is storage against the 827,472-acre-foot capacity basis, not a share of the elevation plotted above.

Blue Mesa Reservoir elevation, full record

19.8% full at the latest reading - across the storage record since January 31, 1966 it ranged from 0.8% (January 31, 1966) to 100.5% (July 8, 1970). Percent full is storage against the 827,472-acre-foot capacity basis, not a share of the elevation plotted above. Every percentage here is measured against today's capacity basis; a reservoir's surveyed capacity changes as sediment accumulates behind the dam, so early-record percentages are indicative rather than exact.

Last 14 daily readings

Frequently asked questions

What is the water level of Blue Mesa Reservoir today?

As of September 7, 2026, Blue Mesa Reservoir's surface elevation is 7,418.62 feet, with 163,931 acre-feet in storage - 19.8% of the 827,472 acre-foot capacity basis. Source: Bureau of Reclamation daily gauge data.

How full is Blue Mesa Reservoir?

Blue Mesa Reservoir is 19.8% full as of September 7, 2026. Its storage is 26% of the September 7 average across its record since 1965. Source: Bureau of Reclamation daily gauge data.

When was Blue Mesa Reservoir last full?

Blue Mesa Reservoir was last at or above 95% of its 827,472 acre-foot capacity basis on August 29, 2019. As of September 7, 2026 it is 19.8% full. Source: Bureau of Reclamation daily gauge data.

Is Blue Mesa Reservoir rising or falling?

Blue Mesa Reservoir is falling: its elevation changed -3.46 feet over the week ending September 7, 2026, -14.06 ft over the past month, and -53.77 feet over the past year. Source: Bureau of Reclamation daily gauge data.

What was Blue Mesa Reservoir's lowest water level on record?

Blue Mesa Reservoir's lowest surface elevation since it first filled (its first near-full reading in this series is from 1969) was 7,418.62 feet on September 7, 2026, per the daily record used by this site. As of September 7, 2026 the reservoir is 0.00 feet above that record low.

About this gauge

Blue Mesa Reservoir on the Gunnison River is the largest of the three Aspinall Unit reservoirs of the Colorado River Storage Project in Colorado.

Operator

Bureau of Reclamation (RISE)

Station

Daily series item 78 (elevation), 76 (storage)

Measurements

Blue Mesa Dam - Reclamation daily reservoir record

Dam

Blue Mesa Dam

River

Gunnison River

State

Colorado

Coordinates

38.4642, -107.2246 (USBR RISE location 1533)

Full pool reference

7,519.4 ft

Capacity basis

827,472 acre-feet (USBR Lower Colorado River Daily Report)

Period of record

November 30, 1965 (Reclamation's period of record for this daily series)

Status

Provisional - subject to revision by the reporting agency

Update cadence

Daily

Download the daily CSV (date, elevation ft, storage AF) or see all data downloads.

Other reservoirs tracked

Colorado River system: Lake Mead, Lake Powell, Lake Mohave, Lake Havasu, Flaming Gorge Reservoir, Navajo Reservoir.
Also: Shasta Lake, Lake Oroville, Folsom Lake, Lake Berryessa, New Melones Lake, Trinity Lake, Don Pedro Reservoir, San Luis Reservoir, Lake Travis, Lake Buchanan, Canyon Lake, Amistad Reservoir, Falcon Lake, Elephant Butte Reservoir.