Click here to read about California’s 2023 accomplishments in the 2023 Annual Report.
Here’s an excerpt from the report:
“Water agencies across Southern California took steps in 2023 to further reduce their use of Colorado River water as part of their commitment to implement immediate conservation measures under the Lower Basin Plan for the Supplemental EIS for short-term Colorado River operations. The plan – submitted to the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) in May – calls for 3 million acre-feet of additional conservation in the Lower Basin by the end of 2026. Approximately 1.6 million acre-feet of that would be generated from California, in-line with California’s proposal in late 2022 to conserve up to an additional 400,000 acre-feet of water a year for four years.
“To support some of these actions, California agencies are executing six contracts for federal funding for short-term water savings under Reclamation’s LC Conservation Program. At the start of the year, some California agencies also continued their conservation commitments funded through the 500+ Plan by Reclamation, the Arizona Department of Water Resources, Central Arizona Project, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (Metropolitan) and the Southern Nevada Water Authority. Thanks to these efforts and a wet water year, Colorado River water deliveries to California in 2023 are on track to be the lowest in the state since 1949 – approximately 700,000 acre-feet lower than the state’s 4.4 million acre-foot apportionment and the state will store a record amount of Intentionally Created Surplus in Lake Mead.
“In August, agencies also submitted proposals for long-term conservation actions that would provide water savings well beyond 2026. Those proposals are being evaluated by Reclamation.”