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The reservoir is now about 30 feet above the level where Glen Canyon Dam could lose its ability to generate power.

By Milosh Potikj | USA Herald

Inside This Report

• Lake Powell fell to 3,519.91 feet on Saturday, setting a new record low.
• The Colorado River system supplies water to more than 40 million people.
• Federal officials are moving water and cutting dam releases to slow the decline.

Lake Powell has fallen to its lowest level since it began filling in 1963, deepening the water crisis across the American West. The reservoir reached 3,519.91 feet above sea level on Saturday, Aug. 15, just below the old record set in April 2023.

The nation’s second-largest reservoir is now more than 20 feet lower than it was at the start of 2026. It sits about 30 feet above the minimum level needed to produce power at Glen Canyon Dam.

Lake Powell is part of the Colorado River system, which supplies water to more than 40 million people. Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming all depend on the river.

A Dry Winter Pushed Lake Powell Lower

Years of heavy water use, drought and rising temperatures have drained Lake Powell and Lake Mead. Lake Mead also reached a historic low about one week before the new Lake Powell record.

The Bureau of Reclamation’s July study shows how little water entered Lake Powell this year. The forecast for April through July was only 17% of the 30-year average, while the full water-year forecast was 36% of average.

The two reservoirs now hold their lowest combined amount of water in nearly 70 years. Their last combined level this low came in May 1957, before Glen Canyon Dam was complete.

Federal Officials Try to Protect Glen Canyon Dam

In April, the Bureau warned that Lake Powell could fall below the 3,490-foot power limit without a major response. Losing power production would also make water releases through Glen Canyon Dam harder to manage.

Federal officials have since cut the planned annual release from Lake Powell to Lake Mead from 7.48 million acre-feet to 6 million. They also plan to move between 660,000 and 1 million acre-feet from Flaming Gorge Reservoir into Lake Powell by April 2027. One acre-foot is about 326,000 gallons.

The Bureau said those steps could leave Lake Powell about 54 feet higher by April 2027 than it would be without them. The goal is to keep the lake near or above 3,500 feet.

However, sending less water downstream may cut Hoover Dam’s power output by as much as 40% this fall.

As USA Herald previously reported, a separate federal plan could also require large water cuts in Arizona, California and Nevada through 2036. The seven basin states are still working on new rules for managing the river after the current agreement ends this year.

Lower water has already closed or moved boat ramps, forced marinas into deeper areas and hurt Lake Powell’s tourism trade. The Bureau will keep tracking the reservoir as officials decide how to protect water and power supplies across the region.

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