The federal government finalized a two-year Colorado River operating plan on Friday, Aug. 21, that commits Utah to helping prop up Lake Powell through releases from Flaming Gorge reservoir, the upstream source that feeds drinking water to Sandy and much of the Wasatch Front through the Central Utah Project.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum signed the "record of decision" after the seven Colorado River basin states failed to reach a consensus deal, according to Fox 13. The plan imposes 1.25 million acre-feet in annual cuts on Lower Basin states Arizona, California and Nevada but stops short of mandatory reductions for Utah and the Upper Basin.

The catch for Utah: the plan requires the state to enter a formal agreement with the federal government and Native American tribes to operate Flaming Gorge and other Upper Basin reservoirs to protect Glen Canyon Dam's infrastructure. The Bureau of Reclamation has already ordered up to 1 million acre-feet released from Flaming Gorge this year to prop up Powell. The new plan sets 3,510 feet as the floor for the dam's continued operational reliability.

Powell is close to that line. The reservoir sat at 3,519 feet on Thursday, Aug. 20, just 29 feet above the 3,490-foot level where the dam can no longer generate hydropower. Powell hit a record low of 3,519.91 feet on Tuesday, Aug. 18.

The Metropolitan Water District of Salt Lake and Sandy provides drinking water to roughly 500,000 Salt Lake Valley residents. A significant share of that supply is Colorado River water pumped in through the Central Utah Project. State Sen. David Hinkins flagged that connection at a Tuesday, Aug. 18, legislative hearing, telling the Interim Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee that the river system supplies drinking water for a large portion of the Wasatch Front.

Utah Colorado River Commissioner Gene Shawcroft said the plan gives negotiators boundaries they previously lacked. "I believe the odds of us coming to a solution, a consensus agreement, are much, much higher with the [record of decision] and with the operation plan out," Shawcroft told The Salt Lake Tribune. "It was difficult to negotiate because we had no boundaries. Now we do."

But Shawcroft acknowledged recovery at Flaming Gorge is not guaranteed. Reclamation says it will prioritize refilling the reservoir, but low levels at Powell and Mead may delay that. Three days before the decision, Amy Haas, executive director of the Colorado River Authority of Utah, warned legislators that prior Flaming Gorge releases had failed to keep Powell above target elevations and that the Interior Secretary would "likely do more."

Sandy Herald sought comment from Metro Water and Sandy City Public Utilities and did not receive a response by publication.

The new guidelines take effect Oct. 1, the start of the 2027 water year. Reclamation plans to release between 6 million and 7 million acre-feet from Lake Powell over the coming year and will adjust in April to keep the reservoir above 3,510 feet. If the basin states reach a consensus agreement at any point, it can replace the federal plan.