News Release Archive

Reclamation Lowers Lake Mohave Water Level as Annual Razorback Sucker Harvest Underway

Media Contact: Rose Davis, 702-293-8421, jdavis@usbr.gov

For Release: October 22, 2013

BOULDER CITY, Nev. - The Bureau of Reclamation’s Lower Colorado Region is lowering water levels in Lake Mohave to aid in annual endangered fish species conservation project work. Beginning today, Lake Mohave, located above Davis Dam on the Colorado River, will steadily lower from its current elevation of about 640 feet to an elevation of about 633 feet by the week of November 18, 2013. Water levels will begin rising again by late November as the razorback sucker fish project is finished.

Boaters may experience decreased access to ramps and should be especially alert to changes on the lake. Updates on current recreation opportunities are available from the National Park Service office at 702-293-8691. Updated information on water levels at Lake Mohave and other Lower Colorado Region reservoirs is available at www.usbr.gov/lc/riverops.html under Current Conditions.

Reclamation’s Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program (LCR MSCP) annually gathers tens of thousands of newly hatched razorback sucker larvae from Lake Mohave to be raised in state and federal hatcheries in the southwest. After an initial period in these hatcheries, many of the fish are placed in rearing ponds around Lake Mohave to grow and learn how to forage. As the fish reach the 12-inch minimum stocking size, they are microchip tagged and released back into the lower Colorado River or adjacent backwaters.

During the fall months, lake levels are lowered so that razorback suckers can be harvested from the lakeside rearing ponds, reintroduced to the river and crews can remove overgrown vegetation and maintain the rearing ponds.

The project is part of Reclamation’s continuing collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in cooperation with the National Park Service, U.S. Geological Survey, Arizona Game and Fish Department, Arizona State University and the Nevada Department of Wildlife. The LCR MSCP is a multi-agency effort to accommodate current and present water and power needs while conserving species and their habitats along the river. Additional razorback sucker conservation information is available at http://www.lcrmscp.gov/fish/razorback_sucker.html.

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The Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is the nation's largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Our facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation opportunities, and environmental benefits. Visit our website at https://www.usbr.gov and follow us on Twitter @USBR; Facebook @bureau.of.reclamation; LinkedIn @Bureau of Reclamation; Instagram @bureau_of_reclamation; and YouTube @reclamation.