Image of the Week - Lake Powell and the Megadrought

Two decades of drought are contributing to low water levels in reservoirs along the Colorado River, including Lake Powell.

Lake Powell’s highest recorded water level was in 1983. In this 1984 Landsat 5 image, the lake’s elevation was 3,702 feet above sea level.

Landsat 8 shows the lake near its historic low level. In April 2022, Lake Powell was 3,529 feet above sea level, its lowest level since the lake began filling behind the Glen Canyon Dam in the 1960s