Arizona, Nevada and Mexico will continue to live with less water next year from the Colorado River after the U.S. government on Thursday announced water cuts that preserve the status quo. … The Interior Department announces water availability for the coming year months in advance so that cities, farmers and others can plan. Officials do so based on water levels at Lake Mead, one of the river’s two main reservoirs that act as barometers of its health. Based on those levels, Arizona will again lose 18% of its total Colorado River allocation, while Mexico’s goes down 5%. The reduction for Nevada — which receives far less water than Arizona, California or Mexico — will stay at 7%. … Heavier rains and other water-saving efforts by Arizona, California and Nevada somewhat improved the short-term outlook for Lake Mead and Lake Powell, which is upstream of Mead on the Utah-Arizona border. Officials on Thursday said the two reservoirs were at 37% capacity.

Related articles and news releases:

• Courthouse News Service: Colorado River allotment cuts coming to Arizona, Nevada, Mexico
• ​U.S. Bureau of Reclamation: Reclamation announces 2025 operating conditions for Lake Powell and Lake Mead
• Voice of San Diego: San Diego Forgoes More Colorado River Water in New Deal 
• Inkstain: The search for enduring solutions on the Colorado River
• U.S. Department of Interior: Strengthening western resilience in the face of drought
• Newsweek: Water level mystery flummoxing US scientists may be solved