We have a good story to tell about the Colorado River (I know. Since when have I typed those words?)

Consider where we are:

Lake Mead and Lake Powell — the nation’s two largest water reservoirs — remain relatively stable, despite only average runoff this year.

That’s largely because Arizona, California and Nevada — the Lower Basin states that rely on Lake Mead — have put their water use on a heavy diet, consuming 5.8 million acre-feet of water in 2023.

That’s the lowest in 40 years and well below the 7.5 million acre-feet of water to which they are entitled.

(For context, 7.5 million acre-feet is enough to put the city of Phoenix under more than 22 feet of water. It’s a lot.)

Meanwhile, the three states are well on their way to leaving an additional 3 million acre-feet feet of water in Lake Mead by 2026, a commitment they made to the federal........

© Arizona Republic