PHOENIX (AP) — The Phoenix City Council has unanimously approved an agreement with tribal, state and federal leaders to help protect the Colorado River and preserve water levels in Lake Mead.
Tuesday's agreement with the state, the Gila River Indian Community and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation will save the equivalent of 35 percent of the Colorado River water used annually by Phoenix residents.
It also will fund a contribution of 13 billion gallons of Colorado River water to system conservation in Lake Mead this year.
Under the agreement, the Gila River Indian Community will contribute 40,000 acre-feet of its Colorado River allocation to system conservation.
Phoenix will contribute $2 million toward the program. Funding will come from the Colorado River Resiliency Fund, which was approved by the City Council in 2014.