America’s Largest Reservoir Is Filling Up With Water Thanks to California

After years of decline and the threat of reaching “dead pool” status, Lake Mead’s water levels are finally on the rise, the Colorado River Board of California announced last week.

The fate of the Nevada reservoir has long been intertwined with the actions of farmers in California’s Imperial Valley, who hold some of the oldest water rights to the Colorado River and receive the largest share of the drought-stressed river’s water in California. Now, efforts to cut back water use in California’s hot and dry southeastern corner seem to be paying off.