The U.S.’s Largest Reservoir Just Fell to Its Lowest Water Level

The record was first broken on Thursday night and continued to fall in the following days. Here’s why that matters.

Water levels in the reservoir, which sits behind the Hoover Dam, are at record lows. A continued drop would imperil water supplies for millions of people and cut electricity from the dam.

Water levels at Lake Mead hit 1,040.4 feet (317.1 meters) above sea level on Friday.

Lake Mead, the nation's largest reservoir, hits record low water level  USA Today

Lake Mead, which stretches along the Utah-Arizona border, was formed in the mid-1930s when the Hoover Dam was constructed on the Colorado River. The lake supplies water to more than 20 million people.

Lake Mead hits lowest water level on record as Colorado River crisis deepens  CNN