Rosen Announces $40 Million in Funding to Address Drought Impacting Lake Mead

LAS VEGAS, NV – Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) announced that $40 million in U.S. Bureau of Reclamation funding has been secured to stabilize the water level decline of Lake Mead. 

The funding will help implement the conservation of over 500,000 acre-feet of water over the next two years. This includes $26 million to the Lower Colorado River Operations Program to continue implementing Drought Contingency Plan activities, and $14 million to shore up water firming rights for Tribal communities during times of shortage in the Central Arizona water supply.

“Due to intense drought brought on by climate change, we’ve seen Lake Mead reach its lowest level of water on record this year,” said Senator Rosen. “I’m proud to have supported this funding, which will allow us to stabilize the water level at Lake Mead and mitigate the impact of the climate crisis here at home. I will continue fighting to see that Southern Nevada has the resources needed to protect our environment and ensure continued access to water.”

Senator Rosen voted for the spending bill that authorized this drought funding earlier this year. In August, Senator Rosen also led fellow Western Senators in urging Senate committee chairs to include funding for wildfire and drought prevention, mitigation, and relief measures in budget reconciliation legislation.

Senator Rosen was an original co-sponsor of the Colorado River Drought Contingency Plan Authorization Act, which was signed into law in 2019. It directed the Secretary of the Interior to execute and carry out the Colorado River Drought Contingency Management and Operations.

 ###