Lake Mead Set for Big Drop in Water Levels in 2024

Lake Mead is in for a huge drop in its water levels this year, new projections have shown.

At the moment, the Nevada reservoir, which is the largest manmade lake in the U.S., is the highest it has been since summer 2021. Projections from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation also estimate that it will rise further in February.

However, the projections also estimate that the reservoir will drop by 17 feet throughout 2024, by the end of December.

Lake Mead water levels currently stand at 1,070.31 feet. Projections estimate it will rise to 1,073.32 feet by the end of next month. However, this is the last rise it will see in awhile, according to the Bureau, as after that it will start to steadily drop, until it reaches 1,056.19 feet at the end of December.

There have been some serious concerns around Lake Mead's water levels in recent years. The southwestern U.S. has been plagued with drought, which has meant less snowpack and less seasonal rainfall to replenish the reservoir.

In July 2022, the reservoir hit its lowest ever point of around 1,040 feet. This was the lowest the water levels had been since it was first constructed in the 1930s.

In 2023, its water levels rose at a rapid level due to an onslaught of rare rain and winter storms in the region. These storms built up a record amount of snowpack in the surrounding mountains, meaning it melted into Lake Mead, replenishing its water levels.

However, these new projects consolidate what experts already feared: that last year's rainfall was only a short-term solution, and we are far from out of the woods yet.

The Bureau of Reclamation also estimated in the "most probably projection" that Lake Mead could start growing again by summer 2025.

As climate change continues to make weather patterns unpredictable, experts cannot say for certain what Lake Mead's water levels will look like in the coming year.

The same can also be said for Lake Powell, Lake Mead's neighbor and the second largest manmade reservoir in the U.S.

"Lake Powell and Lake Mead are both higher today than they were a year ago, thanks to a very wet winter last year, but they are still more than half empty," Jennifer Pitt, Colorado River program director for the National Audubon Society, previously told Newsweek. "We can't forecast water levels in 2024 until we know how much snow falls in the Rocky Mountains over the coming winter, but we do know the situation will get worse over time as climate change continues to diminish the Colorado River."

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