Mayor Gallego, city council votes to leave Phoenix’s Colorado River entitlement in Lake Mead

PHOENIX – Mayor Kate Gallego and the Phoenix City Council unanimously voted Wednesday to leave up to 150,000 acre-feet of the city’s Colorado River entitlement in Lake Mead over the next three years.

The reduced water deliveries are in addition to the reductions in deliveries Arizona agreed to in the Drought Contingency Plan, according to a press release. It will also contribute to the Lower Basin Consensus Plan that commits to conserving at least 3 million-acre-feet of water through the end of 2026.

The initiative is part of the larger Lower Colorado Conservation and Efficiency Program funded by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. It is designed to incentivize water users to conserve water to protect Lake Mead from catastrophic risks.

Gallego said conserving water and using it efficiently is in “our DNA.”

“We recognize that safeguarding the Colorado River is not just about protecting our city’s water supply but also about ensuring the future viability of the Southwest,” Gallego said in the press release.

“This decision reinforces our commitment to sustainable water management and builds on a long history of collaboration with our partners across the state.”

The agreement will be active until December 31, 2025.

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