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By Oliver Trapnell
Associate News Editor
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Declining water levels in Lake Powell and Lake Mead drove hydropower generation in the Southwest to a record low this summer, a new report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) has found.
Following prolonged drought conditions in the Colorado River Basin, water levels at Lake Powell and Lake Mead, which are formed by the Glen Canyon Dam and Hoover Dam respectively, hit record lows and were pushed close to the minimum threshold needed to produce electricity.
Hydroelectric power generated in the Southwest region was 19 percent lower between April and August than during the same period last year and 28 percent below the 10-year average, the EIA said.
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Why It Matters
The Colorado River Basin serves about 40 million people across the American West and supports agriculture, municipal water supplies and electricity generation. Declining reservoir elevations have become a growing concern for federal and state officials as prolonged drought reduces available water throughout the region.
Seven states–Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming–depend on the Colorado River for hydropower generation and for other water supply needs.
Hydropower production depends on sufficient water pressure flowing through turbines, but recent conditions have lowered the water level to levels just above the necessary threshold for power generation.
Officials have spent years trying to prevent both reservoirs from falling below levels at which power generation becomes difficult or impossible.
At the end of September, Lake Powell stood at an elevation of 3,518 feet, according to the EIA report. That was just 28 feet above the so-called "minimum power pool" elevation of 3,490 feet needed to generate electricity at Glen Canyon Dam.
Meanwhile, Lake Mead water levels reached 1,038 feet, only 88 feet above the minimum level required to continue generating power at Hoover Dam.
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What It Means
Hydropower is traditionally one of the lowest-cost sources of electricity in the West. When water shortages reduce output from dams, utilities must rely more heavily on other sources of generation, including natural gas, solar power and electricity imports from neighboring regions.
The EIA forecasts that hydropower will account for about 4 percent of the Southwest's electricity generation mix in 2026, down from a peak of 8 percent in 2011. Total hydropower generation in the region is expected to reach 6.13 billion kilowatt-hours (BkWh) this year, roughly 9 percent lower than in 2025.
Federal officials have already taken steps to prevent water levels from falling further.
To mitigate risk, water was released from Flaming Gorge Reservoir in the Upper Colorado River Basin to help support Lake Powell, while releases from Lake Powell itself were reduced in an effort to preserve reservoir elevations.
The Department of the Interior has also finalized plans requiring California, Arizona and Nevada to collectively reduce water consumption by 1.25 million acre-feet annually over the next two years–roughly equivalent to the annual water use of several million households.
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What Next?
While the summer marked a new low point for hydropower output, recent reservoir data suggest conditions have improved modestly heading into the fall.
After spending much of the year near critical thresholds, both Lake Powell and Lake Mead saw modest improvements by the end of September. Lake Powell remained above the minimum power pool required for electricity generation, while Lake Mead stayed comfortably above the threshold needed for Hoover Dam operations.
The EIA also noted that this year's El Niño weather pattern could bring above-average precipitation to parts of the region, potentially improving reservoir inflows and hydropower output.
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While forecasters expect hydropower generation to remain essentially flat next year at around 6.1 billion kilowatt-hours, increased snowpack and runoff could provide some drought relief. However, the agency warned a single wet year is unlikely to make up for years of water scarcity across the Colorado River Basin.
Some experts have warned that prolonged drought conditions could place additional pressure on water supplies and reduce access to low-cost hydropower, potentially increasing costs for utilities and consumers over time.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Tobias Meyjes and Oliver Pritchard.
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