Fed announces $700 million financing to increase water level at nearby Lake Mead.
The Department of Interior unveiled a $700 million federal funding plan on Thursday, aimed at increasing the water level at Lake Mead. They expressed optimism that this investment would add "over 700,000 acre-feet of water" to the reservoir.
Due to a prolonged 23-year drought, the largest human-made reservoir in the US, which supplies 90% of Las Vegas Strip's water and most of Southern Nevada, is facing record low water levels. As of June 6, Lake Mead's water level stood at 1,066 feet above sea level. While this is an improvement from its measurements in June 2022 (1,043 feet) and June 2023 (1,055 feet), it still falls short by 163 feet (12.6%).
Providing water for approximately 40 million people and supporting hydropower in seven US states, Lake Mead and the Lower Colorado River Basin are essential for millions.
Secretary Deb Haaland stated in a press release, "The Biden-Harris administration is dedicated to making western communities more resilient in the face of climate change challenges. We are continuously working to safeguard the Colorado River System by implementing practical measures via President's Investing in America agenda."
Halloween Desalinization
The said $700 million is allocated for multiple projects, including water distribution structures, advanced metering infrastructure, farm efficiency improvements, lining canals, removing turf, groundwater banking, water recycling, and purification, and a new potential water conservation mechanism - desalinization.
Lake Mead is 272 miles away from the nearest large seawater body, the Pacific Ocean, so constructing a pipeline long enough to reach it remains unfeasible.
Consequently, the government intends to invest in a desalination plant in Mexico - where the Colorado River discharges into the Gulf of California at the base of the Baja Peninsula - and then swap this investment for a piece of Mexico's Colorado River water rights.
This is yet another funding announcement from the Lower Colorado Basin System Conservation and Efficiency Program, made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 to address climate change and the drought crisis.
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