Colorado River water restrictions lessen as Lake Powell and Lake Mead see increase in water - Arizona's Family

Colorado River water restrictions lessen as Lake Powell and Lake Mead see increase in water

LAKE MEAD, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) - In a surprising change from just a few months ago, the federal government is now looking to loosen the Colorado water restrictions for Arizona for next year.

Both Lake Powell and Lake Mead are experiencing something they haven’t seen in recent years, more water. “Just keep it coming. We like to see water levels at higher elevation,” said Ed Gerak with the Irrigation and Electrical District Association of Arizona.

From your home to the farm fields, the Colorado River provides 36% of Arizona’s water supply; some of that water is stored at both Lake Mead and Lake Powell.

With the state’s current drought situation, water experts like Gerak say they hope to see more wet weather continue replenishing the lakes. “There’s a drought in the southwest valley every 150 years, and we are hoping we are coming out of that.”

Both Lake Mead and Lake Powell are reporting 20 more feet of water versus last year around this time, which is significant since last year saw record lows.

At the beginning of 2023, the state was put in a difficult situation when the federal government cut 21% of its water supply from the Colorado River. With this increase at the lakes this year, those restrictions are loosening to 18% for next year and dropping from a Tier 2a restriction to a Tier 1a.

While this increase doesn’t fix Arizona’s overall drought problem, it does buy the state more time to find a long-term solution. “With this good year of hydrology that provides us more time and space and breathing room to focus on those challenging conversations,” said Clint Chandler, the Arizona Department of Water Resources Deputy Director.

This increase is related to the rain they’ve seen up north throughout the year and the intense snowpack the country saw over the winter.

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