(Photo: David Wallace/The Republic)
The plan to save Lake Mead (for now) is finally public. Here's what's in it
The Colorado River produces less water than Arizona and other states are entitled to use. And that is a big problem for our drinking water.
Notice I didn’t ask whether we like the deal. Because, to be frank, no one should like what is in the agreement. It means that Arizona is agreeing to leave in Lake Mead even more of the Colorado River water on which we rely.
That’s going to hurt.
But there’s a purpose for the pain: Reclamation tells us there is now a 1 in 5 chance of Lake Mead falling to 1,000 feet of elevation – a level so catastrophically low that most users haven’t planned how to deal with it yet.
There is broad recognition that we need to leave more water in the lake now to reduce the risk of the lake tanking before 2026. Many agree this may be the most important agreement Arizona signs in the next few years to secure its water future.
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