Colorado River Reservoirs Lake Mead and Lake Powell Hit Historic Low Levels

Lake Powell and Lake Mead, the two largest reservoirs supplying the Colorado River, have fallen to historic lows. On July 12, Lake Powell measured 3,524 ft (about 23% full) and Lake Mead 1,043 ft (about 27% full), the lowest combined storage since 1957. The Colorado River provides water for roughly 40 million people, irrigates over 5 million acres and generates hydroelectric power, so the depletion threatens drinking water, agriculture, electricity and recreation.

The shrinking lakes have heightened a long‑standing political standoff among the seven basin states—Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, California, Arizona and Nevada—over how to apportion the diminishing supply under the 1922 Colorado River compact. Meanwhile, Las Vegas has built a deep‑water intake tunnel known as the “Third Straw,” placed at 860 ft above sea level, giving the city roughly 35 ft of water head even if Lake Mead drops below Hoover Dam’s dead‑pool level of 895 ft. This infrastructure extends the city’s access to water but does not solve the broader drought crisis.