I don’t recall any Lake Mead updates lately. Any significant changes?
We ran a QoD on this subject seven months ago. The latest is a slight improvement for the lake since then.
As of December 3, the last reported statistic, Lake Mead's water level stood at 1,059.2 feet above sea level. This marked a modest rise from earlier projections, including the ones we reported last May.
The level increased due to above-average inflows and reduced water use in the upper Colorado River Basin. For comparison, the lake hit a record low of about 1,040 feet in July 2022 and by late 2024, it had rebounded to around 1,075 feet after conservation measures and one good winter added 16 feet over two years.
Lake Mead is now approximately 35% full. That's still at crisis level that underscores the prolonged mega-drought affecting the region.
In terms of the short-term outlook, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's August 2025 24-Month Study projected the level to dip to 1,055.88 feet by the end of the year, under the most probable inflow scenario. If conditions worsen (probable minimum), it could drop as low as 1,057.20 feet, which would mean around 17 feet lower than its highest point in February 2024. That's still higher -- by 17 feet -- than its low point, but it certainly worries officials after two years of respite.
Longer-term, levels are expected to fall farther, potentially to 1,038.48 feet by September 2027, below the 2022 record low.
The reservoir remains in a Level 1 Shortage Condition, with planned releases from Lake Powell (upstream) of 7.48 million acre-feet for water year 2026.
