FILE IMAGE - The relatively arid desert is viewed at 33,000 feet on May 19, 2022, over Lake Mead, NV. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images) LAS VEGAS - Lake Mead, a drought-stricken Colorado River reservoir located outside of Las Vegas, has been under full capacity for decades — and once again has dropped to a new low since the 1930s.The Colorado River pools behind Hoover Dam to create Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the United States that was developed in 1936, according to the National Park Service.
Lake Mead, and another falling Colorado River reservoir called Lake Powell, are part of a system that provides water to more than 40 million people and businesses in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, and across the southern border in Mexico.The lake has made national headlines in recent months after the discovery of multiple bodies in the lake due to dropping water levels.MORE: Human remains resurfacing at Lake Mead, along with interest in Jimmy Hoffa’s 1975 disappearanceThe water levels at Lake Mead, situated between Nevada and Arizona, have fluctuated over the years, according to the National Parks Service.
But in recent years it has fallen steadily amid ongoing drought and increased water demand.Lake Mead reached its high-water mark in July 1983, at 1,225 feet above sea level.
On Tuesday, the level was 1044.22 feet above sea level — a decline of nearly 23 feet since the start of 2021, according to data from the Bureau of Reclamation.Some of the steepest cliffs bordering the lake show over 170 feet of white mineral "bathtub ring."Skeletal remains have been found in a sunken barrel at Lake Mead as water levels drop to their lowest since 1937, FOX 5's Dani Masten reports.