Lake Mead reaches its lowest level since 1935

Lake Mead, the United States' largest reservoir, recorded a water level of 1,040.4 feet (317.1 meters) above sea level on Friday, the lowest reading since the reservoir was filled about 90 years ago. The level is slightly below the previous low of 1,040.58 feet set on July 28, 2022. The decline follows a winter that produced the basin's poorest snowpack, reducing meltwater that supplies the Colorado River, a source for agriculture, industry, wildlife, hydropower and more than 40 million people across seven states, tribal nations and Mexico.

Federal officials announced a short-term proposal to allocate water cuts among California, Nevada and Arizona after the seven basin states could not reach a long-term sharing agreement. The plan aims to mitigate the impact of prolonged drought, higher temperatures and historic overuse that have lowered both Lake Mead and Lake Powell, the second-largest reservoir, to their lowest levels in nearly seven decades.

To preserve hydropower generation, officials also said they will not release cooler water from Lake Powell at Glen Canyon Dam, citing the need to protect a threatened native fish species whose habitat lies between the two reservoirs. In 2022, severe drought at Lake Mead forced Las Vegas water managers to draw water from deeper layers of the reservoir to maintain supply for the metropolitan area.