Lake Mead hits historic low water level as Colorado River struggles

Lake Mead hits historic low water level as Colorado River struggles 1 of 6 | Visitors to Hoover Dam and Lake Mead on Friday were worried as water levels reportedly dropped. The low water levels at both Lake Mead and Lake Powell have created a situation where the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation put out a proposal on the Colorado River to stave off a crisis in the river. (AP Video: Ty ONeil) 2 of 6 | A tourist takes a photo of Lake Mead near Boulder City, Nev., on Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil) 3 of 6 | Tourists on the Hoover Dam look out at the bathtub ring of minerals that shows the former water levels of Lake Mead near Boulder City, Nev., on Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil) 4 of 6 | A bathtub ring of light minerals shows the high water line of Lake Mead near the Hoover Dam at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area Tuesday, June 30, 2026, near Boulder City, Nev. (AP Photo/John Locher) 5 of 6 | A paddle boat goes past a once nearly submerged island in Lake Mead near Boulder City, Nev., on Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil) 6 of 6 | A paddle boat in Lake Mead near the Hoover Dam, far below the bathtub ring of light minerals indicating the lack of water, near Boulder City, Nev., on Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil) 1 of 6 Visitors to Hoover Dam and Lake Mead on Friday were worried as water levels reportedly dropped. The low water levels at both Lake Mead and Lake Powell have created a situation where the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation put out a proposal on the Colorado River to stave off a crisis in the river. (AP Video: Ty ONeil) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 2 of 6 | A tourist takes a photo of Lake Mead near Boulder City, Nev., on Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil) 2 of 6 A tourist takes a photo of Lake Mead near Boulder City, Nev., on Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 3 of 6 | Tourists on the Hoover Dam look out at the bathtub ring of minerals that shows the former water levels of Lake Mead near Boulder City, Nev., on Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil) 3 of 6 Tourists on the Hoover Dam look out at the bathtub ring of minerals that shows the former water levels of Lake Mead near Boulder City, Nev., on Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 4 of 6 | A bathtub ring of light minerals shows the high water line of Lake Mead near the Hoover Dam at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area Tuesday, June 30, 2026, near Boulder City, Nev. (AP Photo/John Locher) 4 of 6 A bathtub ring of light minerals shows the high water line of Lake Mead near the Hoover Dam at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area Tuesday, June 30, 2026, near Boulder City, Nev. (AP Photo/John Locher) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 5 of 6 | A paddle boat goes past a once nearly submerged island in Lake Mead near Boulder City, Nev., on Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil) 5 of 6 A paddle boat goes past a once nearly submerged island in Lake Mead near Boulder City, Nev., on Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 6 of 6 | A paddle boat in Lake Mead near the Hoover Dam, far below the bathtub ring of light minerals indicating the lack of water, near Boulder City, Nev., on Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil) 6 of 6 A paddle boat in Lake Mead near the Hoover Dam, far below the bathtub ring of light minerals indicating the lack of water, near Boulder City, Nev., on Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] Boulder City, Nev. (AP) — Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the United States, has plummeted to its lowest water level since it was filled some 90 years ago, another sign of the crisis plaguing the Colorado River system.Water levels at Lake Mead hit 1,040.4 feet (317.1 meters) above sea level on Friday, according to federal data. That’s just below the elevation of 1,040.58 feet (317.27 meters) recorded on July 28, 2022 at the reservoir that straddles the Arizona-Nevada border outside Las Vegas.The record follows a winter that produced the worst snowpack on record in the Colorado River Basin. Melting snow feeds the river, which is relied upon by farmers, industries, wildlife, hydropower producers and more than 40 million people across seven U.S. states, tribal nations and Mexico. It comes a week after federal officials announced a short-term proposal to stave off a crisis in the beleaguered waterway. Federal officials stepped in after states that rely on the river — California, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Wyoming and Utah — failed to reach an agreement on how to share the dwindling resource long-term. Under the proposal, California, Nevada and Arizona would share water cuts. Years of overuse combined with drought and rising temperatures have been depleting Lake Mead and Lake Powell, the country’s second-largest reservoir. Together, the two bodies of Colorado River water are the lowest they’ve been in nearly seven decades.To protect the strained system’s ability to produce hydropower, federal officials said Thursday that they will not release cool Lake Powell water from Glen Canyon Dam in northern Arizona to protect a threatened native fish whose habitat is between the reservoirs. 1 MIN READ 3 MIN READ 1 MIN READ Severe drought in 2022 on Lake Mead, which is held back by the Hoover Dam, exposed human remains and forced water officials in Las Vegas to pump water from deeper within the reservoir to continue to supply water to millions of people. ___The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP’s environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment