Largest U.S. reservoir plummets to lowest level since it was filled some 90 years ago as water crisis deepens for western states

Lake Mead, the United States' largest reservoir, has reached its lowest water level since its creation nearly nine decades ago, highlighting the ongoing crisis in the Colorado River system. On Friday, federal data recorded water levels at 1,040.4 feet (317.1 meters) above sea level, just below the 1,040.58 feet (317.27 meters) mark reached on July 28, 2022.

This alarming situation follows a winter with the worst snowpack on record in the Colorado River Basin, a vital source of water for millions. The scarcity of water has forced federal officials to propose temporary measures to prevent a full-blown crisis, with California, Nevada, and Arizona sharing water cuts. However, years of overuse, compounded by drought and rising temperatures, have left Lake Mead and Lake Powell at their lowest levels in nearly seven decades.

In an effort to safeguard hydropower production, federal officials have decided not to release cool water from Glen Canyon Dam in northern Arizona, which benefits a threatened native fish species. The severe drought in 2022 exposed human remains in Lake Mead and prompted water officials in Las Vegas to extract water from deeper within the reservoir to meet the demands of the millions relying on it.