The water level at Lake Mead is less than 10 feet away from rendering most of the hydroelectric turbines at the Hoover Dam inoperable. The study projects Lake Mead falling to 1,031.6 feet in April 2027 and 1,010 feet by the end of June 2028. Land that was once under Lake Mead re-emerges as unprecedented drought reduces Colorado River and Lake Mead to critical water levels on Sept. 17, 2022, in Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Nevada. Brad Udall, a senior water and climate research scientist at the Colorado Water Center, told Straight Arrow that maintaining Lake Powell’s water level is currently a higher priority than Lake Mead. To preserve structural integrity at the Glen Canyon Dam, less water is expected to flow to Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam.