Lake Mohave water levels dropping to help endangered fish

The sun is about to rise above Cottonwood Cove, bottom right, on Lake Mohave along the Colorado River on Thursday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Searchlight. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images

A Colorado River razorback sucker fish is shown swimming in a tank at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office in Lakewood, Colo., on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018. (AP Photo/Dan Elliott)

Water levels at Lake Mohave are expected to drop about 10 feet in the coming weeks to improve habitat and spawning cycles for two endangered fish species native to the Colorado River system.

The annual fall drawdown of the reservoir is part of an ongoing effort by the federal government to restore populations for the boneytail chub and razorback sucker, the National Park Service said in a news release.

The surface of Lake Mohave will go from its current elevation of roughly 643 feet above sea level down to about 633 feet by mid-October. Water levels will start to tick back up starting in November and return to normal by mid-January.

Park service officials emphasized that the process is not related to long-term declines in water levels at the Colorado River’s two major storage reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell.

Boaters should use caution during the drawdown, officials said, as there may be new obstacles in areas that were previously passable.

Contact Colton Lochhead at clochhead@reviewjournal.com.