California water savings could return 16 feet to Lake Mead, officials say
California has conserved enough water in the past two years to return up to 16 feet to Lake Mead, Southern Nevada’s water source that reached a record low two years ago.
That’s about three-fourths of the coastal state’s commitment to conserve 1.6 million acre-feet of water by 2026. California’s approach to drought has run the gamut, including desalination in San Diego, a wastewater treatment plant outside of Los Angeles, and using federal funds to limit farmer water use in the Imperial Valley.
“We are not slowing down anytime soon,” said Jessica Neuwerth, acting executive director of the Colorado River Board of California.“This is just the beginning for us in California.”
The Wednesday announcement set the tone for the first day of what’s expected to be a tense meeting of state negotiators in Las Vegas: the annual Colorado River Water Users Association conference at Paris Las Vegas.
Touton’s final conference
The Colorado River Board of California celebrated its statewide efforts at the meeting, while also bidding farewell to Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton, a Las Vegas native who led the Bureau of Reclamation in the Biden administration.
The state’s various water agencies shared resolutions thanking her for her service.
Touton’s agency is tasked with managing water in the West, acting as the mediator between seven states that haven’t agreed on how to best operate the river when guidelines on how to do so will expire in 2026.
“I’m the only commissioner that has had her entire tenure be under a shortage,” Touton said. “Our collective work here is incredible. The conservation that California is contributing to the river is also unprecedented. It’s an example of what needs to happen on the river. It’s all of us together: It’s agriculture; it’s tribal nations; it’s municipalities.”
President-elect Donald Trump has yet to signal who may take her post, though officials said California’s efforts will only ramp up in the new year.
Contact Alan Halaly at ahalaly@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlanHalaly on X or @alanhalaly.bsky.social on Bluesky.