On Thursday, the Bureau of Reclamation announced that Arizona and Nevada will sustain their current water conservation levels from the Colorado River throughout the coming year, with no imminent escalation in their conservation demands.
Under the “Level 1 Shortage Condition” for the new water year, Arizona will need to conserve 512,000 acre-feet, equivalent to about 18 percent of its annual allocation, while Nevada will save 21,000 acre-feet, which is approximately 7 percent of its share. To put this in perspective, a typical suburban household in the U.S. uses around 1 acre-foot of water per year.
Arizona and Nevada to maintain current water conservation levels from the Colorado River next year
The Colorado River basin continues to face challenges due to prolonged drought and depleted storage levels in Lake Powell and Lake Mead, which are currently at only 37 percent capacity. Nonetheless, federal officials pointed to progress achieved through major investments.
Commissioner Camille Touton praised these efforts, stating, “The Colorado River System has begun to show considerable improvement thanks to the substantial conservation and infrastructure funding provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act.”
Touton referred to agreements between Lower Basin states—Arizona, Nevada, and California—to collectively save at least 3 million acre-feet of water by 2026.
These guidelines, which will be in effect from October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2025, are based on a two-year study of the Colorado River basin. The Bureau of Reclamation emphasized that while they work on long-term strategies, current measures are effectively addressing the immediate needs to safeguard the Colorado River System.
