Lake Mead and Lake Powell Reach Near‑Record Low Levels as Federal Water Plan Unveiled

The U.S. federal government released a final environmental impact report outlining a plan to manage the Colorado River Basin’s two largest reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell. Combined storage in the two lakes fell to just above the level Lake Mead alone held in 1957, the lowest point since before Lake Powell was filled behind Glen Canyon Dam.

The reservoirs, which provide drinking water for about 40 million people and support agriculture in Arizona and California, are losing roughly 15,000–16,000 acre‑feet of water per day due to a multi‑year drought, low snowpack in the Rockies and intense spring heat. Officials warn the water buffer is "almost nonexistent" and that Lake Powell could drop below the level needed for hydropower generation by next spring.

Federal officials are preparing an environmental impact statement that will propose reductions in Colorado River water use to narrow the supply‑demand gap. The plan aims to guide how states and water users respond in the near term, seeking to preserve drinking‑water deliveries and mitigate risks to agriculture, energy and wildfire vulnerability.