The fire was initially ignited in Buckley Draw Canyon south of Slate Canyon around 5 p.m. By 9 p.m., it had burned 400 acres and was 0% contained, according to a U.S. Forest Service spokesperson. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Utah County Wildland Fire, Provo Fire and the U.S. Forest Service responded to the scene, and helicopters and airplanes were seen dumping water and flames retardant on the fire throughout the evening.

— Daily Herald

New Bureau of Reclamation projections highlight impending crisis at Glen Canyon Dam

The Bureau of Reclamation released new two-year water level forecasts for Lake Mead and Lake Powell that painfully demonstrate the obvious: there is a high likelihood that Lake Powell is going to crash.

Reclamation’s forecast shows that Lake Powell could drop to minimum power pool as early as November 2026, meaning no hydropower will be generated. Glen Canyon Dam will become a bottleneck at that level, threatening the water supply for 25 million people downstream, and may force drastic water use reductions in Utah, Colorado and New Mexico.

When Lake Powell’s water elevation is at or below 3,490 feet above sea level, the only way to release water from the dam is through smaller diameter River Outlet Works. These outlets have limited release capacity because they were never meant to be the dam’s only outlets, and have suffered cavitational damage when operated at low Lake Powell levels.

Eric Balken, executive director of Glen Canyon Institute says, “For too long, the decision makers of the Colorado River have avoided the elephant in the room: Glen Canyon Dam. Until the dam is bypassed so that it can operate at low levels, the Colorado River will be hamstrung.”

— Utah Rivers Council

GasBuddy says Ogden gas prices staying steady

Average gasoline prices in Ogden have risen 1.4 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.31/g today, according to GasBuddy’s survey of 160 stations in Ogden. Prices in Ogden are unchanged versus a month ago and stand 26.7 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has decreased 1.9 cents compared to a week ago and stands at $3.671 per gallon.

According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Ogden was priced at $3.15/g yesterday while the most expensive was $3.39/g, a difference of 24.0 cents per gallon. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $2.95/g while the highest was $3.89/g, a difference of 94.0 cents per gallon.

The national average price of gasoline is unchanged in the last week, averaging $3.09/g today. The national average is down 4.6 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 27.9 cents per gallon lower than a year ago, according to GasBuddy data compiled from more than 11 million weekly price reports covering over 150,000 gas stations across the country.

— Gas Buddy