Lake Mead Hits Historic Low, Exposing Human Remains and Deepening Western Water Crisis

Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the United States, has dropped to its lowest water level since it was filled some 90 years ago, according to federal data reported by BBC News and The Guardian. The reservoir, which straddles the Arizona-Nevada border outside Las Vegas, hit 1,040.4 feet (317.1 meters) above sea level on Friday, just below the previous record low set on July 28, 2022, the US Bureau of Reclamation said. BBC News reported the level as 1,040ft (316m) last week, while The Guardian cited the exact figure of 1,040.4ft.

Discovery of Possible Human Remains

During a visit to the Nevada side of the reservoir, a woman and her friend spotted what may be human bones, according to BBC News. Dianelis Molina Cruz told CBS affiliate KLAS: “My friend was playing with the rocks in the lake, and then he grabbed the jaw. And when he looked, he saw the teeth and everything.” Her friend Noel De Leon suggested the low water levels contributed to the discovery, saying, “The water looks very low compared to where it should be. As the water goes down, the skeletons come up.”

Colorado River Under Pressure

Lake Mead is a critical storage system on the Colorado River, a waterway that supplies roughly 40 million people across seven US states, tribal nations and Mexico, and irrigates millions of acres of farmland, The Guardian reported. The river basin is facing enormous pressure from a combination of overuse, prolonged drought, extreme heat, and a lack of snowmelt, according to both outlets. Lake Powell, the second major reservoir on the Colorado River, is also at historic low levels, The Guardian noted.

JB Hamby, chair of the Colorado River board of California and a board member of the Imperial Irrigation District, the largest user of the river’s water, told The Guardian: “It’s extremely significant and extremely concerning. You have three-quarters of the population of the Colorado River basin, some 30 million people, who are directly impacted by risks to Lake Mead.” Hamby said it is vital for states that use Colorado River water to reduce use.

Record Snowpack Shortfall and Federal Response

This past winter saw the worst snowpack on record for the Colorado River basin, adding stress to farmers, industry, wildlife and hydropower producers, according to The Guardian. Federal officials said Thursday they will not release cool Lake Powell water from Glen Canyon Dam to protect the humpback chub, a native fish species. States that rely on the Colorado River have failed to reach an agreement on long-term sharing of the dwindling resource, and the federal proposal would require the Lower Basin states of Arizona, California and Nevada to take less water. The Bureau of Reclamation said the plan was flexible, with deeper cuts possible in drier times, and the government is expected to release a “record of decision” in the coming weeks with more details.

Widespread Drought and Warming

Water levels at Lake Mead have been declining since 2000, BBC News reported. The reservoir is in Clark County, most of which is in moderate drought, according to the US Drought Monitor. Droughts have been worsening in recent years, something scientists say is driven by climate change, BBC News said. The Guardian also noted that severe drought in 2022 exposed human remains and forced Las Vegas water officials to pump from deeper within the reservoir.

A Broader Pattern of Receding Waters

Across the West, reservoirs are feeling the strain. Levels at Lake Powell have dropped so much that boat ramps have had to move, shut down, or be built anew, The Guardian reported. Of the 54 western reservoirs tracked by the Bureau of Reclamation, nine recently recorded their lowest levels in three decades. According to modeling done in July, Lake Mead is forecast to continue dropping through much of the rest of the year.

The effects are not confined to the US. Persistent hot summer weather has been lowering water levels in rivers and lakes in several countries, leading to unexpected discoveries, BBC News reported. In Hungary, the bodies of two World War Two German soldiers were recovered from the Danube River in Budapest earlier this month, along with a largely intact German army Wehrmacht motorcycle. Other remnants of World War Two have appeared in the Danube, including a broken-up hull near Prahovo in Serbia. In the UK, low water levels at a reservoir in Rutland have uncovered the remains of the village of Nether Hambleton, which was demolished and flooded to create the reservoir.