Lake Mead Water Levels Get Great News

Lake Mead could rise more than 10 feet following a monumental water conservation deal between President Joe Biden's administration and several California water agencies on Wednesday.

Lake Mead, which is in Nevada and Arizona, reached drastically low levels last summer after years of drought, but water levels have since started to recover because of above-average precipitation and snowpack that has melted this summer. The lake recently surpassed 2021 water levels after rising more than 20 feet this year.

Despite this year's recovery, water officials were still concerned given the increased water use in the region and the long-term drought that previously parched Lake Mead and Lake Powell.

However, the seven states in the Colorado River basin struggled to unite in a plan to preserve water use.

Now, months later, a deal with the Biden administration has convinced California water entities to conserve up to 643,000 acre-feet of water in Lake Mead in exchange for $295 million from the Inflation Reduction Act, the Department of Interior announced on Wednesday.

"These agreements represent another critical step in our collective efforts to address the water management challenges the Colorado River Basin faces due to drought and climate change," Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton said in a press release announcing the deal. "Addressing the drought crisis requires an all-hands-on-deck approach, and close collaboration among federal, state, Tribal and local communities. When we work together, we can find solutions to meet the challenges of these unprecedented drought conditions."

Colorado River Commissioner for California J.B. Hamby also lauded teamwork in the deal. On Wednesday, Hamby was among the water officials in Las Vegas for the annual Colorado River Water Users Association meeting.

"Early this year, the Basin States were in a state of real disagreement about how to protect critical elevations at Lake Mead and Lake Powell. Thankfully, Arizona, California, and Nevada worked hard together to develop the Lower Basin Plan that will generate 3 million acre-feet of water and protect the Colorado River system for the duration of the current rules that operate the river," Hamby told Newsweek. "California's agencies this week inked deals with the United States Bureau of Reclamation that will meet California's 1.6 million acre-feet of contributions as part of the Lower Basin Plan."

Earlier this year, Western states scrambled to come up with a solution that would preserve their access to Colorado River water but still aided Lake Mead and Lake Powell in their 20-year drought recovery.

Six of the states in the Colorado River basin united to propose a plan for water conservation, which included further cuts for California, the state that uses more water from the Colorado River than any other state, according to a report by NPR.

California water leaders pushed back on the plan and concocted one of their own that would take their senior water rights into consideration and implement further water cuts for Arizona.

As part of the new agreements made with the Biden administration, water conservation efforts will include Coachella Valley Water District, which will save up to 105,000 acre-feet of water through 2025, and the Quechan Tribe, which will save up to 39,000 acre-feet through 2025, with other water conservation deals with the Palo Verde Irrigation District, Bard Water District, and a second agreement with the Coachella Valley Water District to be finalized in the coming weeks.

The Bureau of Reclamation also recently reached an agreement with the Imperial Irrigation District in Colorado to conserve up to 100,000 acre-feet of water this year, funded by a $77.6 million investment. The pair will also work together to conserve water from 2024 to 2026.

Update 12/15/2023, 10:34 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include comment from J.B. Hamby.