Lake Mead, in southern Nevada, saw extremely low levels of water in 2021.
And so the lower basin states of California, Nevada, and Arizona developed a plan to address the diminishing inflow from the Colorado River.
It’s called the 500+ Plan.
The title refers to the goal of saving 500,000 acre-feet of water per year in Lake Mead.
And the plan is fully funded after just four months of discussions.
Aspen Journalism Managing Editor Heather Sackett recently wrote an article about the 500+ Plan. She also references a recent white paper that examined the window that water managers now have to come up with innovative solutions.
Aspen Public Radio reporter Halle Zander sat down with Sackett to discuss the plan and how it compares to conservation programs in Colorado and other upper basin states.
