Lake Mead reaches historic low as federal water-cut plan unveiled
Lake Mead fell to its lowest recorded elevation of 1,040.5 feet, prompting a new federal management plan that calls for water-use reductions in the Colorado River basin.
Lake Mead, the nation’s largest reservoir, dropped to a record low of 1,040.5 feet on Aug. 7, according to the Bureau of Reclamation. The level has declined daily since July 31, surpassing the previous modern low of 1,040.58 feet set in July 2022. The reservoir supplies drinking water for about 25 million people and hydroelectric power for the Southwest.
The decline follows a federal 10-year management plan released days earlier, which proposes mandatory water-use cuts for Arizona, California and Nevada and voluntary reductions for Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico and Utah. The plan, accompanied by an environmental impact statement, aims to address chronic shortages in the Colorado River system.
"It's grim and we obviously need to do something – and fast," said Brad Udall, senior climate scientist at Colorado State University’s Colorado Water Center.
Udall added that while the new plan is a step forward, reliance on a potentially wet El Niño winter does not change the long-term drought trend. He warned that without substantial cuts by states, tribes and Mexico, the reservoir could face “dead-pool” conditions where water no longer flows downstream.
Lake Mead’s low level also threatens hydroelectric generation at the Hoover Dam and raises concerns about water quality, as past low-water events have exposed submerged structures and debris. The combined storage of Lake Mead and Lake Powell is at its lowest since before Lake Powell was filled in 1963, and Lake Powell has fallen nearly four feet in the past month.
In response, the Southern Nevada Water Authority has expanded low-level intake infrastructure and implemented aggressive conservation measures, including incentives for replacing lawns, restrictions on commercial fountains, and pool-cover programs that have saved billions of gallons.
State officials, such as Arizona water resources director Tom Buschatzke, continue negotiations with the other basin states and federal agencies over the proposed cuts.