GLENDALE, Ariz. — The City of Glendale entered into an agreement this week that aims to conserve thousands of acre-feet of water in Lake Mead.
The city council has recently agreed to conserve up to 30% of the Colorado River water the city's allotted through the Central Arizona Project. These savings equate to about 7,000 acre-feet of water per year over the next three years.
One acre-foot of water is enough to serve three single-family homes for one year.
For every acre-foot of Colorado River the city conserves, Glendale will be compensated $400. The city said these funds will be used for water infrastructure improvements.
The heavy rainfall experienced in the Valley this past winter has allowed Glendale to not use as much of its Colorado River allotment.
"Water customers served by the city of Glendale typically use 41,000-acre feet of all water sources per year. Therefore, conserving 7,000 acre-feet of Colorado River water equates to a 17% savings of the citywide water use per year," Glendale Water Resources Program Manager Drew Swieczkowski said in a statement.
Glendale is one of eight Colorado River users in Arizona who have entered into agreements to conserve up to 393,000 acre-feet of water in Lake Mead.
Ongoing drought conditions have been causing Lake Mead's water levels to decrease in recent years.
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