Lower levels at Lake Mead have sent water managers scrambling to assess Southwestern water and energy needs. But the falling reservoir is also revealing some surprises. Earlier this month, boaters at Lake Mead discovered a barrel with human remains.

As the drought continues and climate change’s impact is felt even more deeply, dealing with Arizona’s water challenges has taken on a dramatic immediacy. And that will include conservation — possibly required conservation in the next couple of years.

The Department of the Interior announced this week that nearly $10 million will be allocated for irrigation projects and power utilities owned by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

On Tuesday, the Bureau of Reclamation announced two drought mitigation measures to ensure the water level at Lake Powell doesn’t dip below what’s required to generate electricity. It’s a significant move one tribe in Arizona hopes will push other water legislation forward.

The city of Tucson wants some funding from the bipartisan infrastructure package passed by Congress to go toward cleaning up groundwater contaminants.

Leaders in the Yuma area are hosting a roundtable Thursday afternoon to discuss how drought and cuts in Colorado River output will affect water infrastructure and needs going forward.

Falling levels in northern Arizona reservoirs have raised concerns about the state’s water supply during the ongoing drought. But other sources of water supplying metro Phoenix are at healthier levels.

The U.S. Interior Department is considering emergency cutbacks to the water supplies for Arizona, California and Nevada.

An Indigenous nation in neighboring Sonora held a historic gathering last year to demand water for their communities on the Sea of Cortez. Now, they’re meeting again. This time in honor of their ancestors.