Lake Mead has fallen under 1,050 feet above sea level, underscoring how deeply the West’s water shortages still run.
As the country’s largest reservoir continues to shrink, Las Vegas appears to have stronger safeguards against a worsening shortage than most major Colorado River Basin cities.
What’s happening?
Federal forecasts show Lake Mead could reach about 1,020 feet by July 2027, the Las Vegas Sun reported. With the reservoir already sitting at roughly 35% of capacity, that outcome would take it past the low it hit in 2022.
For Southern Nevada, the stakes are high. About 2.4 million people rely on the Colorado River for around 90% of their drinking water…