Lake Powell Hits Lowest Level on Record as Southwest Water Crisis Deepens
Colorado River plummets as lakes Powell and Mead drop to record lows
Lake Powell, the nation's second-largest reservoir, fell to a record low on Saturday, and Lake Mead, the largest, hit its lowest point a week earlier. The combined system hasn't held this little water since 1957, before climate change brought a 1,200-year drought. Officials are shifting water from smaller reservoirs and urging conservation, but the crisis threatens cities like Phoenix, agriculture, and hydroelectric power for millions.
The combined reservoir system, an essential water source for cities and farms across Arizona, Nevada and Southern California, has not held so little water since 1957, before Lake Powell was filled.