Today’s Image of the Day from NASA Earth Observatory features Lake Powell, which stands at its lowest level since it was filled in the mid-1960s. 

Lake Powell is the second largest reservoir in the United States, and a major component of the water system in the western United States.

According to NASA, the reservoir is currently filled to just 26 percent of capacity – its lowest point since 1967. 

“On August 22, 2022, the water elevation of the lake surface was 3,533.3 feet, more than 166 feet below ‘full pool’ (elevation 3,700 feet),” says NASA.

“After three years of intense drought and two decades of long-term drought in the American Southwest, federal water managers have been forced to reduce the amount of water that will be portioned out to states around the Colorado River watershed in the 2023 water year.”

On August 16, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced that Arizona will receive 21 percent less water from the Colorado River system next year, Nevada will receive eight percent less, and Mexico will get seven percent less water. 

Experts predict that Lake Powell levels will drop to about 3,522 feet by the beginning of 2023.

Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory 

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By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Staff Writer