Lake Powell Drops to Lowest Level Ever Recorded
Federal officials say the record low could force new water cuts and further threaten hydropower for millions across the Colorado River Basin.
- On Saturday, Lake Powell dropped to 3,519.91 feet above sea level, breaking its previous record low of 3,519.92 feet set in April 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
- Persistent overuse combined with a record-dry winter and rising temperatures have depleted the Colorado River Basin's storage, leaving both Lake Powell and Lake Mead at historic lows.
- Lake Powell now sits roughly 30 feet above the 3,490-foot 'minimum power pool' threshold, where Glen Canyon Dam's turbines would stop generating electricity for nearly 500,000 households.
- Federal water managers proposed a 10-year management plan requiring Arizona, California, and Nevada to cut water usage by 20% by 2028 to stabilize the Colorado River system.
- "We are in uncharted territory," said Jack Schmidt, director of the Center for Colorado River Studies at Utah State University, warning that even record snowpack cannot reverse long-term declines without significant policy changes.
138 Articles
138 Articles
Lake Powell Hits Record Low, Exposing Decades of Mismanagement on the Colorado River
The surface of Lake Powell dropped to 3,519.91 feet above sea level on Saturday. That single number marks a grim milestone. It edges past the previous record low set in April 2023. A week earlier Lake Mead, the river’s other giant reservoir, had already touched its own historic bottom. Together the two storages sit at levels not seen since 1957, when Glen Canyon Dam was still under construction and the lake did not yet exist. But 2026 is differe…
The water level in the two largest reservoirs in the United States has fallen dramatically, which could soon affect drinking water supply, electricity prices and agriculture.
California officials warn Lake Mead could fall 5 more feet, slashing Hoover Dam power by 70%
A fresh plunge at Lake Mead has pushed the reservoir to a new record low, prompting Southern California water managers to warn about the potential fallout — not only for water supplies but also for electricity production. Given the importance of Lake Mead and water flows from the Colorado River to the Southwestern United States, declining levels could tighten water availability, raise utility costs, and sharply reduce the hydroelectric output o…
Their water levels are now just above the threshold from which electricity production would be affected.
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