Lake Powell (the United States' second-largest reservoir, straddling the Utah-Arizona border) has fallen to a record low water level of 3,519.91 feet above sea level, surpassing a previous record set in April 2023. The milestone follows a historic low at nearby Lake Mead just days earlier, with both reservoirs now at their smallest combined capacity since the 1950s — the result of persistent overuse, a record-dry winter, and rising temperatures. The Colorado River system supplies water and hydroelectric power to more than 40 million people across seven U.S. states, and officials warn that Powell is now only around 30 feet above the threshold at which its turbines would cease generating electricity entirely.