LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Lake Mead water levels are once again causing concern after hitting a record low overnight.
The Bureau of Reclamation tracks water levels hourly and posts them on their website.
As you can see from the data, Lake Mead hit 1,040.46 feet between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m.
This breaks the previous low, which was set on July 28, 2022 at 1,040.5 feet.
You may remember that drought conditions caused lake levels to drop in 2022, which revealed everything from old boats to multiple sets of human remains.
Lake Powell, the nation's second largest reservoir, is also seeing lower levels. According to Bureau of Reclamation data, as of Thursday, Lake Powell was sitting at 3,521.43 feet and is nearing the previous record low of 3,519.92 feet, which was set in April 2023.
While water levels rose at Lake Mead for the next couple of years after 2022, that's because we had several wet winters.
That's not the case this year, and Bureau of Reclamation data shows the lake elevation level has fallen every day since July 31. The agency has been tracking lake levels since the nation's largest reservoir was originally filled in the 1930s.
Roughly 40 million people are served by the Colorado River Basin, including the Las Vegas metropolitan area.
Because of water demands, some cities have been using groundwater from aquifers and according to NASA estimates, since 2002, those reserves have lost 13.7 trillion gallons of water.
Some states have looked at possible alternatives to share water and/or use desalination plants to convert seawater into fresh water.
WATCH | Nevada, California, Arizona exploring Colorado River water sharing options:
Last Friday, the federal government released a new proposal, which will provide the framework for future operating guidelines for the river.
Federal authorities have suggested cutting about three million acre-feet, including about 300,000 acre-feet here in Nevada. That's equivalent to enough water to fill just over 150,000 Olympic-size swimming pools.
"The Department has a responsibility to ensure the Colorado River system remains reliable and resilient for the millions of Americans, communities, and industries that depend on it," Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said. "This framework provides the flexibility to respond to changing hydrologic conditions while preserving the opportunity for Basin States to continue working toward durable, consensus-based solutions."
Bronson Mack with the Southern Nevada Water Authority previously told Channel 13 that Southern Nevadans likely wouldn't notice a major change.
"What this means for us here in Southern Nevada is that our water allocation is going to be reduced in 2027 and in 2028," Mack said. "But the good news is that our community has been so diligent in water conservation that our water use is below 200,000 acre-feet."
WATCH | Lawmakers react to Colorado River proposal
As for next steps, according to the Department of the Interior, the proposal would include key thresholds and ranges for operational elements and a process that will govern development and issuance of operating guidelines through 2036.
Operational sideboards were chosen to ensure that the Department would have flexibility and environmental compliance to operate the system in a way that is responsive to actual hydrologic conditions and allows for the incorporation of Basin-wide innovative water management solutions.