Yampa River Drought Response Program – Water Year 2026
The Colorado River District is offering 420 acre-feet of Elkhead Reservoir water to assist agricultural producers during the 2026 severe drought and potential mainstem Yampa River calls. This webpage provides general program information, key dates, eligibility requirements, and access to the application.
Program Overview
During this drought year, natural flows in the Yampa River may drop low enough to trigger an administrative call. When this occurs, many water users must reduce or stop diversions.
Through this program:
- Water is released from Elkhead Reservoir and delivered to participating irrigators either directly or through administrative exchange, allowing them to continue diverting legally during a call.
- Water is provided at no cost to eligible agricultural applicants.
- Transit loss will be applied to releases, resulting in headgate deliveries that are less than the requested amounts.
Available Water and Allocation Process
- A total of 420 acre-feet is available in 2026.
- The initial lottery allocation is capped at 50 acre-feet per applicant.
- Applicants with a need above 50 acre-feet should still indicate their full requested need in the application. Any remaining water after the initial lottery round will be allocated to applicants with additional need. That additional water will be allocated equally among those applicants.
- Any water still available after that process will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
Important Delivery Limitation
Because the program depends on the ability to move water through the Yampa River using administrative exchange, some locations may not be legally or physically served. If the River District or Division of Water Resources determines that an intervening diversion or other constraint is likely to prevent delivery to your point of diversion, your application may be denied. Applicants are encouraged to review their diversion location in relation to senior downstream water rights and contact the River District with questions before applying.
Who Is Eligible
- Agricultural producers diverting from the Yampa River or its tributaries
- Applicants with a decreed water right
- Diversions located within a stream reach where direct delivery or administrative exchange is possible
- Users who are expected to be curtailed during a mainstem call
Timeline for 2026 Program
- June 4: Program approved by River District Board of Directors
- June 26: Applications due
- July 1: Lottery conducted for initial round of contracts
- July 2-9: Contracting with awardees
- July 10: Anticipated start of water deliveries
Lottery Process and Transparency
If requests for water exceed the amount available, the initial allocation will be determined through a lottery. After eligibility is confirmed, each applicant will be assigned a number and ranked using a publicly available random number generated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology Randomness Beacon at 12 p.m. MDT on July 1, 2026.
The lottery methodology, applicant list, and randomization process will be established before the drawing and will not be modified afterward. Applicants will be ranked in random order, and water will be allocated sequentially based on that ranking, up to a maximum of 50 acre-feet per applicant, until the initial 420 acre-feet allocation is exhausted.
To promote transparency, applicants may request a copy of the lottery spreadsheet and supporting documentation used to conduct the drawing. Applicants will be notified of results and next steps immediately following the lottery.
To apply, submit the application to Hunter Causey at hcausey@crwcd.org by email, with subject: Yampa River Drought Response Program – Water Year 2026, no later than 5 p.m. on June 26, 2026.