The Colorado River is the source of 4,400,000
acre feet (5.4 km3) per year for California.
[30] Six other states along the river’s watershed (
Wyoming,
Nevada,
Utah,
Colorado,
New Mexico, and
Arizona) and Mexico, share allocated portions of river water. The
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, or MWD, holds priority water rights on the Colorado. It sells water to 95 percent of the South Coast region.
Lake Mead, formed by
Hoover Dam, is the primary reservoir in the Colorado River basin. The
Colorado River Aqueduct begins 155 miles (249 km) downstream from Hoover Dam, and can carry 1,200,000
acre feet (1.5 km3) annually.