Phoenix will voluntarily reduce Colorado River usage by 30% to combat low reservoir levels
Phoenix will leave 150,000 acre-feet of water in Lake Mead and Lake Powell over the next three years as part of a multi-state effort to protect the Colorado River, whose water levels have dropped to dangerously low levels after decades of severe regional drought.The move, unanimously approved by the City Council on May 31, reduces the city’s typical Colorado River allocation by 30% for 2023 and adds to a 9,300 acre-feet reduction already enacted as a result of the state’s drought contingency plan. Phoenix will receive $60 million in exchange for leaving the water in the lakes.
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