Lake Meade Water Levels

Lake Mead stores Colorado River water for delivery to farms, homes and businesses in southern Nevada, Arizona, southern California and northern Mexico. About 96 percent of the water in Lake Mead is from melted snow that fell in Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming.The water level in Lake Mead is lower than it has been in over 40 years. The water is going down because the Colorado River runoff over the last decade starting in 1998 has been far below normal. Ninety percent of southern Nevada’s water comes from Lake Mead, with releases regulated by the Southern Nevada Water Authority. When the water levels in the lake are declining and expected to cross below an elevation of 1,145 feet, the Water Authority declares a Drought Watch. Once the water is below 1,145 feet, the watch is shifted to a Drought Alert—the status in May 2003. When the lake top drops below 1,125 feet, a Drought Emergency goes into effect. The current level is 1,112 feet. Each of these water-level alert states triggers various water restrictions and practices in the area, from restrictions on watering gardens, washing cars, running fountains in civic parks and public places, to increases in the rates charged for water to encourage conservation. The water elevation last dropped below 1,125 feet in 1965. In 2000, for example, the runoff was only 56 percent of normal. The runoff has continued to be well below normal. Because of this decreased runoff, Lake Mead has received only slightly more than the minimum required amount of water from the Upper Basin. But the amount of water going out from Lake Mead has remained at normal levels. So, there has been more water going out of Lake Mead over the past decade starting in 1998 than there has been coming into the lake. This causes the elevation to drop a little more each year.