In early May, flows in the Yampa River above Stagecoach Reservoir reached a historic low. At a time when the reservoir should have been filling with spring runoff—and when flows typically average around 100 cubic feet per second (cfs)—inflows at Stagecoach dropped below 20 cfs.
As a result, the Upper Yampa Water Conservancy District (UYWCD) had to release more water from the reservoir than was coming in. By mid-May, the tailwaters—a renowned 0.6-mile stretch of fishery below Stagecoach—closed to recreation.
On June 27, 2025, the Colorado Water Trust (CWT) called for environmental releases from Stagecoach Reservoir to boost flows in the river downstream. These releases—the earliest in Stagecoach history— have been propping up the Yampa River ever since.
Environmental releases from Stagecoach Reservoir aren’t new; the first occurred in 2012. Since then, organizations like CWT, UYWCD, and the City of Steamboat Springs have collaborated to identify ways to continue supporting flows in the Yampa.
Community members and other partners came together to raise funds for purchasing water, ultimately establishing the Yampa River Fund. At the state level, representatives worked to pass legislation amending rules that govern environmental releases.
Now, for the second summer in a row, more water will be released from Stagecoach to support the health of the river downstream than ever before—and the benefits go beyond the environment. Boosting flows in the river helps support local businesses and, let’s face it, the dog days of summer are more bearable for everyone when we can still get in or on the river.
For well over a decade, Yampa Valley residents have benefited from the work so many have put into keeping the Yampa flowing during hot, dry summers—something that residents of other river basins across the state may not get to experience. That’s something worth celebrating!
The Upper Yampa Water Conservancy District and the Colorado Water Trust invite you to join us in a community celebration on Tuesday, August 19th at the Art Depot from 5pm—6:30pm. River in Motion—a celebration of the collaborative community efforts that keep the Yampa flowing will feature the many organizations that work together to boost river flows.
Admission is free, but seating is limited so we encourage you to register in advance at https://events.humanitix.com/river-in-motion-community-celebration.
Even if you can’t make the celebration, you can always track river flows using the Yampa River Dashboard at youryampariver.org.
The dashboard features custom tools like Colors of Water—Stagecoach which lets you see flow volumes by source: natural flow, environmental releases, and operational releases.
Follow the Upper Yampa Water Conservancy District on social media to explore more tools that help you track the flows all summer long.
Steamboat Pilot & Today
Holly Kirkpatrick
Read the original article here.
Photo: Tubers float past the beach near Charlie’s Hole on the Yampa River. Credit: John F. Russell/Steamboat Pilot & Today