Colorado River basin faces record‑low water levels, threatening supply for 40 million

A 24‑month study by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation projects that Lake Mead could fall to a record‑low elevation of 1,036 feet by 2026, with Lake Powell expected to set a new low as well. Water inflow between April and July is forecast at roughly 800,000 acre‑feet, about 13 % of the long‑term average, the lowest on record. Together, the two reservoirs hold about 80 % of the Colorado River’s water, a source for more than 40 million people and for hydroelectric generation that supplies roughly 2.5 million customers.

Experts attribute the looming shortfall to a multi‑decadal megadrought compounded by a recent snow‑drought and warmer, drier climate conditions. “This is a multi‑decade‑old drought, and then on top of that … climate change … translates into higher temperatures, more variable precipitation, and drier soils,” said Dave White, director of the Global Institute of Sustainability and Innovation at Arizona State University. The Bureau warns that reservoir levels below 1,050 feet would shut off power at Hoover Dam, and a “dead pool” at 895 feet would halt downstream flow entirely.