Lake Mead Water Update As Final Colorado River Plan Released

A final Colorado River conservation plan has been released by officials in a bid to maintain the vital water source over the next few years.

The seven states in the Colorado River basin paired with the Biden administration to agree on the proposal, which aims to save around 3 million acre-feet of water by the end of 2026, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation reported.

Under the agreement, water entities in California will also commit to conserve 399,153 acre-feet of water in Lake Mead by 2026.

The Colorado River reservoir, which straddles the borders of Arizona and Nevada, has been a concern to officials for some time, as recent years have seen it reach historically low water elevations.

Lake Mead's level currently stands at just under 1,077 feet. This marks a drastic improvement on the same period last year, when the level was only some 1046 feet.

Although this recent rise has seen the reservoir reach its highest point since May 2021, concerns remain.

The new 3 million acre-feet goal should allow for water release from nearby Lake Powell, which lies upriver of Lake Mead, between Utah and Arizona.

"Reclamation is grateful to our partners across the Basin—including the Basin states Governor's Representatives, the 30 Basin Tribes, water managers, farmers and irrigators, municipalities, power contractors, non-governmental organizations, and other partners and stakeholders – for their unprecedented level of collaboration throughout this process," Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton said in a statement.

"As we move forward, supported by historic investments from the President's 'Investing in America' agenda, we will continue working collaboratively to ensure we have long-term tools and strategies in place to help guide the next era of the Colorado River Basin."

In recent years, the Colorado River's water levels have reached the lowest they have been in a century.

The river is one of the most important across the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It provides water for around 40 million people in the surrounding areas, and supplies water to 5 million acres of farmland. Over the last century, the river's flow has dropped by 20 percent, according to data from the U.S. Geological Survey.

Prolonged droughts have meant it has been difficult to conserve its water. Experts think these conditions have been worsened by climate change.

"Today's milestone is the result of strong leadership from the Department of the Interior, complemented by a whole-of-government effort to harness funding and resources from the President's Investing in America agenda, and steadfast engagement from Colorado River Basin states, Tribes, and water users," White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Brenda Mallory continued in a statement.

"The Biden-Harris Administration will continue building partnerships and deploying historic resources to build a more resilient future for the West."

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Updated 03/07/24, 8:52 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include a map of the Colorado River, showing both Lake Mead and Lake Powell.