Lake Mead hits lowest water levels in history amid severe drought in the West

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(LAKE MEAD, Nev.) -- Lake Mead, the reservoir formed by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, has hit its lowest water levels ever, according to government officials.

The water level in the reservoir, which supplies drinking water to millions of people in California, Arizona, Nevada, and part of Mexico, was measured at its lowest level since the lake was created with the damming of the Colorado River in 1935, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation told ABC News.

On Thursday morning, the surface elevation of Lake Mead along the Nevada-Arizona border dipped to 1,071.48 feet, data from the Bureau of Reclamation shows.

Last month, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation projected that levels in man-made lakes that supply water for millions of people in the U.S. West and Mexico will shrink to historic lows.

The Colorado River supplies water to 40 million people, while the Hoover Dam generates electricity to about 25 million people.

ABC News' Matt Gutman contributed to this report.

Thursday, June 10, 2021 at 4:03PM by Julia Jacobo, ABC News Permalink