SE Valley Times

Gilbert, Ariz. - On Tuesday, June 20th, the Gilbert Town Council voted to approve a System Conservation Implementation Agreement with the Bureau of Reclamation to conserve up to 1,200 acre-feet of Gilbert’s Colorado River water in Lake Mead each year through 2025.An acre-foot is the approximate volume of water needed to serve two homes in Gilbert per year.  

The agreement is administered through the Bureau of Reclamation’s Lower Basin System Conservation and Efficiency Program developed to protect the Colorado River reservoirs from reaching critical elevations.  

Gilbert will receive $400 per acre-foot conserved for up to $480,000 per year through the Inflation Reduction Act. The town will use the funds to help offset the cost of alternative renewable water supplies and the increasing cost of raw water supplies.  

Reducing Gilbert’s share of Colorado River water will not have a direct impact on customers in terms of what water they receive at the tap. The reduction will come from water typically delivered to the town's recharge facilities for annual storage and recovery purposes. 

Gilbert will need to make this volume up through alternative supplies such as recovering previously stored water. The proposed volume does not undermine the town’s long-term sustainability and we will continue to promote and ramp up water conservation programs to reduce the impacts of existing and anticipated reductions in our Colorado River supplies.  

Gilbert will continue to explore opportunities to do our part in stabilizing the Colorado River system. The approval of this agreement comes exactly one year after Gilbert entered Stage 1 of our local water shortage management plan. 

Since then, Gilbert has launched two new water conservation rebate programs for our customers, with a third program – a residential grass removal rebate - coming later this summer.We continue to encourage Gilbert residents to do their part in reducing their outdoor water use and preserving our water future.  

To learn more, visit gilbertaz.gov/WaterShortage.

Original source can be found here.