Lake Mead Falls To Just 27% Capacity

LAKE MEAD NATIONAL RECREATION AREA, NEVADA - JULY 28: The old Basic Management Inc. intake pipe at Saddle Island, the first ever "straw" put into Lake Mead to bring water to Las Vegas, is shown on July 28, 2022 in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Nevada. A formerly sunken boat is shown on the rocks at left. The white "bathtub ring" on the rocks is from mineral deposits left from when the area was submerged in water. Last week, Lake Mead dropped to just 27 percent of its capacity, with the water level at its lowest since being filled in 1937 after the construction of the Hoover Dam as a result of a climate change-fueled megadrought coupled with increased water demands in the Southwestern United States. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)