It's hard to internalize the scale of the Colorado River crisis until you actually lay eyes on the record-low water levels upstream of the Glen Canyon Dam.

• I saw the dam for the first time this week, and I went from scared to dam(n) scared. The vagaries of western water law may be hard to understand, but the flow of water is not.

Why it matters: For those of us in the upper basin — most of Utah, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico — the stakes of the river's failure are far more remote than they are downstream of the dam.

• That can make the ongoing negotiations too abstract for all of us to pay close attention to, especially amid our own water crises.

Catch up quick: Laws written in the 1920s gave the upper basin and lower basin equal water. Then lower-basin population centers like L.A., Las Vegas and Phoenix exploded and the West got hotter and drier.

• Now, the lower basin overuses its share, while the upper basin has never used all of its allotment.

Meanwhile, our upper-basin water sources may dwindle over time, but the dam is effectively designed to entirely cut off the flow to the lower basin all at once if Lake Powell falls below the bypass tubes — the dam's lowest outlets.

The bottom line: We're legally entitled to more water than we're using, but Arizona, Nevada and California will bear the brunt of the consequences if we actually take it.

As long as we have that advantage over the mortals downstream, we should probably have a basic vocabulary for what could happen.

Here are the two major low-water marks to keep in mind:

🚨 Minimum power pool: 3,490 feet

• This is the lowest level Lake Powell can reach before the turbines have to stop generating electricity.
• That could affect rates for nearly 6 million households as far north as Wyoming and as far east as Nebraska.
• The most recent federal projections estimate the lake could come a few feet from that next spring, and below it by February 2028.

🚨 Dead pool: 3,370 feet

• At this level, the Colorado River can't reach the bypass tubes and stops flowing beyond Lake Powell.
• It would devastate ecosystems from the dam to the Colorado River Delta, as well as Lake Powell itself, which would be "trapped, stagnant and heating in the sun, prone to algal blooms and deadly anoxia," per High Country News.

The latest: As of Wednesday, the lake was at 3,528 feet — the lowest for that date since Lake Powell first filled up in the 1960s.

What we're watching

Utah's largest farmers market is back tomorrow at Pioneer Park with more than 250 vendors, but shoppers may notice a few changes this season.

The big picture: The park is undergoing an $18 million revamp that will last through fall, which means the Downtown Farmers Market will have a new layout.

• Most vendors will be on the southern edge of the park, and the northbound lanes on 400 West will be closed to accommodate hot food vendors.

What they're saying: Despite the construction, Urban Food Connections of Utah, which runs the market, was able to maintain a similar number of vendors.

• "We wanted to make sure we weren't turning people away," director Carly Gillespie told Axios.

By the numbers: The market typically welcomes about 10,000 shoppers each weekend, but opening day tomorrow is expected to attract 12,000 to 15,000 visitors.

Here's what else is new:

🫓 Vendors: Quetzal Imports, a Central American grocery store in Fairpark, is selling pupusas. And Orem-based Fancy Burger is selling smash burgers every other weekend.

🍎 Fewer fruit stands: Utah's unusually warm winter created difficult conditions for fruit growers, so shoppers will see less variety.

If you go: The market runs 8am-2pm every Saturday through Oct. 24.

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🦸 FanX Salt Lake Comic Convention will relocate to the Mountain America Expo Center in Sandy when the Salt Palace closes for a three-year construction project starting in 2027. (FOX 13)

🤖 "Shark Tank" investor Kevin O'Leary has agreed to slash the size of his proposed data center in Box Elder County in half after President Stuart Adams sent him a letter this week asking him to significantly reduce it by 75%. (Utah News Dispatch)

⚖️ Gov. Cox's new Utah Supreme Court picks have no judicial experience, spurring criticism from the state's legal community. (KUER)

• "The Utah Supreme Court is not an entry-level position," said Co-Equal Utah, a group of nonpartisan attorneys.

Movie buffs can catch a flick under the stars this summer.

State of play: Woodbine Food Hall is partnering with the Utah Film Center for the second year in a row to host "Movies in the Alley" outdoor movie screenings once per month through September.

• Tickets cost $5.
• There'll be nine food vendors and attendees are encouraged to bring their own chairs.

The line-up:

Tonight: "The Princess Bride"

July 3: "Jaws"

Aug. 3: "Monty Python and the Holy Grail"

Sept. 4: "Office Space"

If you go: Seating for all showings will open at 8pm and movies will start at dusk.

Take a buddy

If you're road-tripping through southern Utah, be sure to peek at the murals while gassing up at the Kanab Chevron.

• It'll take you to the dark side of the old West.