U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake recently received a letter from the Department of the Interior (DOI) allowing him to protect Arizona’s water in Lake Mead and end the immediate threat of Arizona losing any of the water to another state.

Flake, a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee (SENRC), had committed to obtaining assurance from the administration to deny other states the use of Arizona's Lake Mead water as part of a conservation effort during the drought.

“Arizona can now rest assured that no other state will gets its hands on the water we have saved in Lake Mead,” Flake said. “This is a big win for Arizona in the combined effort to combat the drought, prevent a water shortage and ensure continued access to our share of the Colorado River.”

Earlier this month, the SENRC approved Flake’s Western Water Supply and Planning Enhancement Act legislation to combat the drought affecting western states. The legislation, introduced with Sens. John Barrasso, John McCain, James Risch, Dean Heller and Steve Daines, provides measures to help drought-stricken states make better use of existing water as it increases conservation efforts and protects state-issued water rights.