That’s the lowest recorded level since Lake Mead was filled nine decades ago. Water intake towers at Hoover Dam stand next to the “bathtub ring” high watermark at Lake Mead in August 2022. Lake NeedA previously sunken motorboat re-emerges from the depths of Lake Mead in September 2022. Lake Mead currently holds about 27% of capacity (roughly 7 million acre-feet), more than 180 feet below full pool. In July 2026, the combined live storage in Lake Mead and upstream Lake Powell fell to levels last seen in 1957 — during construction of Glen Canyon Dam, before Powell had begun filling.