Gov. Doug Ducey has signed legislation to ensure that Arizona gets to keep any extra water it saves up in Lake Mead.

Southwest states like Arizona are trying to bolster the water supply in the reservoir, hoping to avoid water cutbacks next year.

Some of that extra water has been coming from Mexico’s share, but once that water gets into reservoir, there’s no guarantee it will stay with the state responsible for getting it there.

Doug Dunham with the Department of Water Resources says this legislation will ensure that water goes to the right user.

“We won’t take their water and they won’t take our water because we made the action to actually save it,” Dunham said.

This bill gives the director of the department the power to make those kinds of agreements with states like California and Nevada.

Dunham says negotiations are still ongoing on a new treaty with Mexico that would allow these conservation projects to go forward.