Lake Powell, Mead hit record low combined levels

July 24, 2026

2–3 minutes

Summary

Record-low storage in Lake Powell and Lake Mead underscored strain on the Colorado River as states renegotiated water use.

Why this matters

Lake Powell and Lake Mead are central to water and power supplies across the Southwest, serving millions of people, farms, and utilities. The record low adds pressure to interstate negotiations over how to manage a shrinking Colorado River.

The combined water level in Lake Powell and Lake Mead fell to a record low on July 12, according to an analysis published last week by five Colorado River experts.

On that date, Lake Powell stood at 3,524 feet and Lake Mead was just under 1,043 feet, breaking a record set in March 2023. The two reservoirs have not been this low since 1957, during construction of Glen Canyon Dam, before Lake Powell existed.

Jack Schmidt, director of the Center for Colorado River Studies at Utah State University and an author of the analysis, called it “a milestone in the history of water storage in the Colorado River Basin.” The record shows “the seriousness of the uniquely small amount of water that is presently stored in the basin’s reservoirs,” he said.

The Colorado River supplies water to 40 million people, irrigates more than 5 million acres of farmland, and generates electricity for about 700,000 homes. Lake Powell and Lake Mead hold just under 60% of the water currently stored in the basin.

The river has declined over the past 25 years as water demand grew and climate change brought hotter, drier conditions and less snowpack. Today, 95% of the basin is in drought. The western U.S. also had one of its driest, warmest winters on record last season, leaving the region with limited snowpack.

Lake Powell is now 23% full and at its lowest July level on record. Based on current declines, it could reach its all-time low next month. Lake Mead is 27% full and less than a foot above its record low, set in July 2022.

The researchers said the reservoirs’ combined storage could set a new daily low through next spring, until winter runoff begins. A July Bureau of Reclamation report said Lake Powell could reach “minimum power pool” by spring 2027, a level at which Glen Canyon Dam can no longer generate hydropower.

The low levels come as seven basin states continue negotiations over how to divide the river’s shrinking supply under the 1922 Colorado River Compact. A federal February deadline for agreement passed without a deal.

After a virtual meeting Tuesday with the governors, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said Interior remained focused on establishing a new operating framework. The Bureau of Reclamation said it will release updated operating guidelines in the coming weeks.

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