Federal officials say they won't release water that Arizona and other Lower Colorado River Basin states have stored in Lake Mead to another state.
Deputy Interior Secretary Michael Connor wrote in a letter this week that the department will only release unused water belonging to one state to another if all three states agree. The Lower Basin is comprised of Arizona, Nevada and California.
The assurances only protect water through 2016 since there will be an administration change in January, but come as a victory for U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., who has been trying to get formal protection for Arizona's water stored in Mead.
Connor, Arizona and California water officials say similar assurances could be included in a long-term agreement covering water use in the region currently under negotiation.
