Home › Rivers

River Inflows Feeding Lake Powell, Lake Mead and Elephant Butte

USGS stream gauges, today against the normal for the date.

Western Reservoir Conditions·Daily·No. 96·Tuesday, October 27, 2026

The 7 gauged rivers flowing into Lake Powell carried 46,948 cfs combined on October 26, 2026 (USGS daily means), 559% of the sum of their long-term averages for Oct 26 (8,393 cfs).
Three gauges are above the highest daily mean in USGS's approved record for Oct 26: San Juan River near Bluff, 33,800 cfs against 17,900 cfs in 1942 (99 years); San Rafael River near Green River, 393 cfs against 372 cfs in 1972 (90 years); Mill Creek at Sheley Tunnel near Moab, 20.8 cfs against 12 cfs in 1988 (44 years). The Oct 26 values are provisional.
The 3 gauged rivers flowing into Lake Mead carried 12,620 cfs combined on October 25, 2026 (USGS daily means), 109% of the sum of their long-term averages for Oct 25 (11,577 cfs).
The 2 gauged rivers flowing into Elephant Butte Reservoir carried 595 cfs combined on October 26, 2026 (USGS daily means), 115% of the sum of their long-term averages for Oct 26 (518 cfs).
Reclamation reports Lake Powell inflow of 43,525 cfs and Glen Canyon Dam release of 6,537 cfs on October 26, 2026 (daily averages, provisional).

Jump to: Lake Powell · Lake Mead · Elephant Butte Reservoir

Rivers flowing into Lake Powell

The seven gauged rivers and creeks that flow into Lake Powell, with each gauge's daily mean for October 26, 2026 against its USGS statistics for Oct 26.

The San Juan River carried 72% of that day's gauged total (33,800 cfs, 2,561% of its own average for the date).

Gauge	Latest reading	Daily mean Oct 26	Average for Oct 26	% of average	Median	Lowest to highest (year)
San Juan River near Bluff, UT USGS 09379500 · 99 yrs, 1916 to 2026	22,100 Oct 27, 2:30 p.m. MDT	33,800^P above the USGS record for the date	1,320	2,561%	985	277 (1935) to 17,900 (1942)
Colorado River near Cisco, UT USGS 09180500 · 108 yrs, 1914 to 2026	5,430 Oct 27, 3 p.m. MDT	8,030^P	4,000	201%	3,770	1,320 (1935) to 11,400 (1942)
Green River at Green River, UT USGS 09315000 · 126 yrs, 1895 to 2026	4,200 Oct 27, 3:15 p.m. MDT	4,510^P	2,900	156%	2,790	840 (1935) to 7,250 (1983)
San Rafael River near Green River, UT USGS 09328500 · 90 yrs, 1910 to 2026	194 Oct 27, 3:15 p.m. MDT	393^P above the USGS record for the date	64	614%	42	0 (1957) to 372 (1972)
Dirty Devil River above Poison Spring Wash near Hanksville, UT USGS 09333500 · 70 yrs, 1949 to 2026	43.7 Oct 27, 2:30 p.m. MDT	179^P	96	186%	74	20 (1964) to 398 (1952)
Mill Creek at Sheley Tunnel near Moab, UT USGS 09183500 · 44 yrs, 1955 to 2026	20.2 Oct 27, 3:15 p.m. MDT	20.8^P above the USGS record for the date	6.8	306%	6.5	3.35 (2013) to 12 (1988)
Escalante River near Escalante, UT USGS 09337500 · 67 yrs, 1943 to 2026	0.6 Oct 27, 3:25 p.m. MDT	15.5^P^e	6.6	235%	4.5	0.47 (2004) to 94 (1999)
Total 7 gauges, none nested	31,988	46,948	8,393	559%	medians and extremes not summed: they fell in different years

For comparison, Reclamation's daily inflow figure for Lake Powell on Oct 26 was 43,525 cfs and Glen Canyon Dam released 6,537 cfs. The gauged total and Reclamation's figure are different measurements: the gauges sit miles upstream, water takes a day or more to reach the lake, and side canyons below the gauges are not gauged, so the two are not expected to match.

Gauged total: combined USGS daily mean flow of the 7 gauges feeding Lake Powell, past 30 days, cfs. USBR inflow: Reclamation's computed daily inflow to Lake Powell (RISE item 511). Avg for date: the sum of each gauge's USGS long-term mean for that calendar date (periods of record differ by gauge; see the table). Recent days are provisional.

Gauged total: combined USGS daily mean flow of the 7 gauges feeding Lake Powell, past 12 months, cfs. USBR inflow: Reclamation's computed daily inflow to Lake Powell (RISE item 511). Avg for date: the sum of each gauge's USGS long-term mean for that calendar date (periods of record differ by gauge; see the table). Recent days are provisional.

Rivers flowing into Lake Mead

The gauged rivers that flow into Lake Mead, with each gauge's daily mean for October 25, 2026 against its USGS statistics for Oct 25.

The Colorado River carried 96% of that day's gauged total (12,100 cfs, 108% of its own average for the date).

Gauge	Latest reading	Daily mean Oct 25	Average for Oct 25	% of average	Median	Lowest to highest (year)
Colorado River above Diamond Creek near Peach Springs, AZ USGS 09404200 · 38 yrs, 1984 to 2026	10,800 Oct 27, 1:30 p.m. MST	12,100^P	11,200	108%	10,800	8,480 (2022) to 20,400 (1998)
Virgin River at Littlefield, AZ USGS 09415000 · 97 yrs, 1930 to 2026	185 Oct 27, 2:05 p.m. PDT	192^P	154	125%	119	66 (1965) to 767 (1972)
Las Vegas Wash below Lake Las Vegas near Boulder City, NV USGS 09419800 · 39 yrs, 1970 to 2026	341 Oct 27, 2:25 p.m. PDT	328^P	223	147%	285	46 (1971) to 365 (2006)
Total 3 gauges, none nested	11,326	12,620	11,577	109%	medians and extremes not summed: they fell in different years

Hoover Dam released 5,278 cfs on Oct 25 (Reclamation, provisional). Reclamation publishes no daily inflow figure for Lake Mead, so the gauged total above is the closest measured inflow.

Gauged total: combined USGS daily mean flow of the 3 gauges feeding Lake Mead, past 30 days, cfs. Hoover release: Hoover Dam's daily release (RISE item 6125). Avg for date: the sum of each gauge's USGS long-term mean for that calendar date (periods of record differ by gauge; see the table). Recent days are provisional.

Gauged total: combined USGS daily mean flow of the 3 gauges feeding Lake Mead, past 12 months, cfs. Hoover release: Hoover Dam's daily release (RISE item 6125). Avg for date: the sum of each gauge's USGS long-term mean for that calendar date (periods of record differ by gauge; see the table). Recent days are provisional.

Rivers flowing into Elephant Butte Reservoir

The Rio Grande where it enters Elephant Butte Reservoir, with each gauge's daily mean for October 26, 2026 against its USGS statistics for Oct 26.

The Rio Grande Floodway carried 77% of that day's gauged total (459 cfs, 176% of its own average for the date).

Gauge	Latest reading	Daily mean Oct 26	Average for Oct 26	% of average	Median	Lowest to highest (year)
Rio Grande Floodway at San Marcial, NM USGS 08358400 · 63 yrs, 1964 to 2026	854 Oct 27, 2:45 p.m. MDT	459^P	261	176%	105	0 (1964) to 1,830 (1998)
Rio Grande Conveyance Channel at San Marcial, NM USGS 08358300 · 62 yrs, 1965 to 2026	245 Oct 27, 3:15 p.m. MDT	136^P	257	53%	175	0 (1969) to 1,630 (1973)
Total 2 gauges, none nested	1,099	595	518	115%	medians and extremes not summed: they fell in different years

Gauged total: combined USGS daily mean flow of the 2 gauges feeding Elephant Butte Reservoir, past 30 days, cfs. Dam release: USGS 08361000, Rio Grande below Elephant Butte Dam, NM. Avg for date: the sum of each gauge's USGS long-term mean for that calendar date (periods of record differ by gauge; see the table). Recent days are provisional.

Gauged total: combined USGS daily mean flow of the 2 gauges feeding Elephant Butte Reservoir, past 12 months, cfs. Dam release: USGS 08361000, Rio Grande below Elephant Butte Dam, NM. Avg for date: the sum of each gauge's USGS long-term mean for that calendar date (periods of record differ by gauge; see the table). Recent days are provisional.

Questions

How much water is flowing into Lake Powell?

Reclamation's daily average inflow to Lake Powell was 43,525 cubic feet per second on October 26, 2026, about 86,330 acre-feet that day, while Glen Canyon Dam released 6,537 cfs. Reclamation labels the figure provisional.

What rivers flow into Lake Powell?

The Colorado, Green, San Juan, San Rafael, Dirty Devil and Escalante rivers and Mill Creek, measured at USGS gauges 09379500, 09180500, 09315000, 09328500, 09333500, 09183500, 09337500. The Colorado and Green carry most of the water in most years; the San Juan enters the lake's southeast arm.

Does Lake Mead have an inflow gauge?

Reclamation publishes a daily release for Hoover Dam but no daily inflow for Lake Mead. The measured inflow is the sum of USGS gauges on the Colorado River above Diamond Creek, the Virgin River at Littlefield and Las Vegas Wash: 12,620 cfs combined on October 25, 2026 (provisional daily means).

What does cfs mean?

Cubic feet per second, the volume of water passing a point each second. One cfs flowing for a full day is 86,400 cubic feet, or 1.98 acre-feet.

How to read this page

1/Latest reading is the newest 15-minute USGS instantaneous value, timestamped in the gauge's local time. It is provisional and can change by the hour, so it is never compared with an average here.
2/Daily mean is the USGS daily mean discharge for the date shown. P marks provisional values, e marks estimated ones. All gauges are compared on the same day, the newest day every gauge in the list has reported.
3/Average, median, lowest and highest for the date are USGS daily statistics, computed by USGS from approved daily means only, over the years shown under each gauge name. They are quoted, not recomputed.
4/Totals add gauges that do not sit on the same stream, so no water is counted twice. Medians and extremes are not summed, because each gauge's fell in a different year.
5/Flows are in cubic feet per second (cfs). One cfs flowing for a day is 1.98 acre-feet. Nothing on this page is a forecast.