Arizona Water Resource Vol. 22 No. 1 (Winter 2014)

Abstract

In January 2014, Arizona will begin its first farmland fallowing and forbearance project. Unlike similar fallowing programs in the West, this project does not transfer the water conserved in the agricultural sector to the municipal sector. For the time being, this program seeks to conserve water in the Colorado River system. The saved water will be maintained in Lake Mead, increasing its dwindling levels and helping forestall shortages to water users in the Lower Colorado River Basin. Since 2000, water levels in Lake Mead have fallen by an alarming 100 feet. If the lake’s elevation falls by another 30 feet, users in the lower basin would face reductions in water allocations.