Lake Powell hits record low amid ongoing drought

Lake Powell, the second-largest reservoir in the United States, has fallen to its lowest level on record, marking a critical milestone in the severe, long-term drought gripping the American West. The water level at the reservoir, which spans Utah and Arizona, dropped to 3,519.91 feet on Sunday, August 16, 2026, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation published on Monday. This reading breaks the previous record low of 3,519.92 feet set in April 2023.

The decline comes just over a week after Lake Mead, the nation's largest reservoir by capacity, also hit its lowest level since it was first filled in the 1930s. Together, the two reservoirs hold the vast majority of Colorado River water used to sustain cities, agriculture, and tribal lands across seven states: California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado. The river provides water to roughly 40 million people and irrigates more than 5 million acres of farmland.

Federal officials attribute the crisis to a combination of persistent overuse, the lowest snowpack on record last winter, and record-breaking heat in March, which intensified drought conditions across the river basin. As of April, Colorado...