LAS VEGAS – To help avoid another round of mandatory cuts, Arizona officials, Nevada y California they are preparing to sign an agreement that would voluntarily reduce Colorado River water to lower basin states by 500,000 acre-feet, enough to supply about 750,000 homes for a year, by both 2022 and 2023.
The deal, known as the “500+ Plan,” would require millions of dollars from each state over two years — $60 million from Arizona, $20 million from Nevada and $20 million from California with federal matching dollars — to fund the payments. for water use reduction and efficiency projects that result in supply savings throughout the lower basin.
The signing is expected to take place this Wednesday at the annual meeting of the Colorado River Water Users Association in Las Vegas, amid the urgency of negotiating new rules to manage the resources available to the river beyond 2026 when interim guidelines set in 2007 expire.
Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the United States, hit record lows this year, leading to reduced deliveries in 2022 for water rights holders in Arizona, Nevada and Mexico.