On Thursday, April 23, some 150 community members gathered at the Pitkin County Library for the Colorado River District (CRD)’s State of the Roaring Fork River. The event is one in a series that the Glenwood Springs-based water agency has been presenting around the state. CRD chief of strategy Amy Moyer and communications director Matt Aboussie were joined by representatives from several local nonprofits.
Rebecca Briesmoore, a CRD water resources engineer and project manager, provided an overview of the state of the Roaring Fork. She shared graphics demonstrating that 2025-26 was the warmest winter in 130 years of recorded October-March temperature data, an outlier of 3 to 4 degrees Fahrenheit statewide. While the season was not the driest recorded, high temperatures resulted in the lowest recorded snow water equivalent (SWE).
Briesmoore explained that barring significant May precipitation, the 2026 peak runoff was four weeks early, with a peak SWE of around half of average. The median peak snowpack in the Roaring Fork watershed falls on April 7 and 17.1 inches of SWE, while this year’s peak snowpack was measured March 10, with 9.3 inches SWE. Based on measurements over the last month, the upper Frying Pan and upper Roaring Fork basins have lost over 50% since then.
CRD data collection shows historical peak flow in the Roaring Fork River and tributaries between early June and early July, topping out between 250 and 375 cubic feet per second (cfs) depending on the year. CRD measurements combined with current long-term weather forecasts indicate that 2026 peak flow likely occurred on March 27 at a rate of 79 cfs.
Ruedi Reservoir is around two-thirds full as of late April, with 67.3 thousand acre-feet out of a 102.4 thousand acre-feet capacity. CRD scientists do not expect the reservoir to surpass current levels. Long-term weather forecasts for May, sourced from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, indicate below-average precipitation unlikely to shift snowpack or watershed levels. However, those forecast models indicate a possibility of above-average monsoon precipitation from July through September. Briesmoore noted that longer-term forecasts are subject to change.
The weather patterns recorded thus far are evidence, Briesmoore said, that “this year is unprecedented.” Data from 1895 to 2025 shows that the average annual air temperature has risen 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit. CRD’s data indicates that for every 1 degree Fahrenheit increase in air temperatures, streamflow decreases between 4 and 7%.
Briesmoore then introduced CRD chief of strategy Amy Moyer, who shared data on the broader Colorado River Basin, which includes Wyoming, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, California and the Republic of Mexico. The dry and record-breaking warm winter has exacerbated low water levels and over-allocation of stored water in Lake Powell and Lake Mead. CRD and other Western water stakeholders are exploring options for renegotiation of the Colorado River Compact. The agreement, established in 1922, allocated 17.5 million acre-feet of water among member states, tributaries and Mexico. Average flow for the larger river in higher-precipitation years ranges between 14 and 15 million acre-feet. Recent drought years have produced only 11 million acre-feet.
Moyer also shared details on CRD’s non-partisan Shoshone Water Rights campaign. The Shoshone Power Plant in Glenwood Canyon has been operational since 1909 and has “large and very senior non-consumptive water rights on the Colorado River,” used for low-impact hydro-powered electricity for the City of Glenwood Springs, Moyer said. She stated that Shoshone Water Rights “help keep Western Slope water on the Western Slope.”
After representatives from Pitkin County Healthy Rivers shared videos on Lincoln Creek and Grizzly Reservoir, Christina Medved of Roaring Fork Conservancy (RFC) provided an informational update on aquatic nuisance species encroaching on the Roaring Fork River. While zebra mussels have not yet been observed in the Roaring Fork, their presence has been confirmed in Glenwood Canyon. Given the species’ rapid reproduction (an adult mussel can produce 1 million offspring per year) and affinity to clog infrastructure, advocacy groups are emphasizing the need for all water-based recreationalists to use water-free cleaning stations to prevent further zebra mussel spread.
RFC is also monitoring the New Zealand mudsnail. The snails are very small, pinhead-sized as adults, and resilient. Mudsnails have been in the Colorado and Eagle Rivers for years. They were identified in the lower Roaring Fork in October 2025. The river from Carbondale to Glenwood Springs is now considered infested. New Zealand mudsnails are often transferred via boots, waders and dog paws, and can live up to 50 days outside of water. Their presence in rivers reduces mayfly and caddisfly populations, nitrogen balances and fish body weights since the snails are largely indigestible.
Medved said that water recreation users need to clean all equipment at the utilized body of water after every use, including draining, wiping and drying all boats. She explained that for small equipment like fishing rods and boots, users can choose to freeze gear overnight, but that otherwise, thorough drying or chemical treatments as provided at riverside and lakeside stations are most effective.
RFC anticipates high river temperatures this summer. Medved said RFC asks that anglers carry thermometers and check water temperatures before starting to fish, and to adjust location or fishing times as necessary to minimize stress to the fish. Water temperatures above 68 degrees stress fish and can magnify ecosystem damage before fishing impacts.
Low streamflow and invasive species present threats to watershed
