After two years of conservation efforts, Lake Mead is on the come-up.
Voluntary measures by Californians to save water in the Colorado River system are on their way to keeping well over the promised 1.6 million acre-feet of water in the reservoir by 2026, SFGATE reported. In a news release, the Colorado River Board of California announced a coalition over the last 23 months had conserved 1.2 million acre-feet of water.
This year, 500,000 acre-feet were saved through Dec. 4. That figure was 700,000 in 2023. On Dec. 26, Lake Mead’s water level was 18.5 feet above what it was two years prior.
Since 2002, California users have decreased their Colorado River water usage by 800,000 acre-feet, according to the river board. In Los Angeles, users have cut their usage by 44% over the last 30 years despite a population increase of more than 1 million people.
In the arid West, the Colorado River Basin is vital. Forty million people and seven U.S. states, 30 tribes, and two Mexican states rely on it for water, electricity, and agriculture.
The conservation effort includes the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, San Diego County Water Authority, and other water and irrigation districts; the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe; and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
