Lake Powell hits record low, deepening Colorado River crisis

Lake Powell, the second-largest reservoir in the United States, has reached its lowest water level on record, intensifying worries about the long-term viability of the Colorado River system. The milestone was recorded on Saturday, just over a week after Lake Mead, the river's other major reservoir, also set a historic low.

The Colorado River Basin is a lifeline for more than 40 million people across seven U.S. states, as well as for wildlife and hydropower generation. The shrinking reservoirs reflect a combination of chronic overuse, an exceptionally dry winter, and rising temperatures that have reduced snowpack and increased evaporation.

According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Lake Powell's elevation fell to 3,519.91 feet above sea level on Saturday, slightly surpassing the previous record set in April 2023. The lake has dropped more than 20 feet since the start of the year and now sits about 30 feet above the level at which turbines would cease to generate hydroelectric power. Federal officials warned in April that a "major intervention" would be needed to prevent that scenario by the end of this year.

Negotiations among the federal government and the seven basin states—California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado—have yet to produce a long-term management plan. In July, the Bureau of Reclamation proposed a 10-year strategy that includes significant water cuts for Arizona, California, and Nevada.

The reservoirs are at their lowest levels in nearly seven decades. Their combined storage last reached this point in May 1957, when Glen Canyon Dam, which holds back Lake Powell, was under construction. The reservoir began filling in 1963.

The falling water has also disrupted tourism around Lake Powell, forcing marinas to close or relocate boat ramps to deeper waters as the shoreline recedes.