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Lake Mead Water Level Drops to Historic Low Along Arizona-Nevada Border
Just the facts
Water levels at Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the United States, dipped below the previous record low set on July 28, 2022. Located along the Arizona-Nevada border near Las Vegas, the reservoir forms part of the Colorado River system that supplies water to roughly 40 million people across seven U.S. states and Mexico. Federal officials with the Bureau of Reclamation announced they will refrain from releasing cool water from the Glen Canyon Dam at Lake Powell to protect habitat for the endangered humpback chub fish. The water decline follows the lowest recorded winter snowpack across the Rocky Mountains in the Colorado River basin.
Why this is news
Federal data released by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation revealed that water levels at Lake Mead fell to 1,040.4 feet above sea level on August 7, 2026. The drop marks the lowest recorded water level for the reservoir since its initial filling approximately 90 years ago.
Sources
This summary is compiled strictly from the original reporting below.