The Colorado River Basin drainage provides life-preserving water to 7 southwestern US States and 2 Mexican States in this arid desert region.  Hoover and Glen Canyon Dams, creating Lakes Mead and Powell - the two largest reservoirs in the US - were built to provide flood control and to assure a steady water supply throughout the Colorado River Basin.  Since 1999/2000 the southwest has been in a severe drought.  Lake Mead and Lake Powell provide incontrovertible evidence of the severity, which we document here with graphs and beautiful scenery, albeit with “bathtub rings.”

Lake Powell runs 186 miles with a capacity of 7.9+ trillion gallons, dropped 137 feet from 97% of capacity in 1999 to 33% in 2005, a decrease of 5.1 trillion gallons; Lake Mead, 112 miles long with a capacity of 8+ trillion gallons, from 97% in 2000 to 38% in 2008 and 2010, a decrease of 4.9 trillion gallons - a combined loss of 10 trillion gallons in both lakes.  Select a button for photos and satellite images of the lakes, Update for recent graphs of the lakes' elevations.