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FACT BRIEF

Did Lake Mead water levels rise by two feet in five days?

By Hanna Fahsholtz
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YES

Between April 25 and April 30, 2023, Lake Mead’s water level rose by more than 2.5 feet to reach 1,049.73 feet. This surge is due to a large release of water from Arizona’s artificial reservoir, Lake Powell. The intentional downstream flooding restored Grand Canyon beaches and sandbars before reaching Lake Mead.

Lake Mead is a man-made reservoir on the Colorado River that supplies water to 25 million people in the Southwestern United States. Ongoing massive drought in the Western U.S. has caused water levels in Lake Mead and Lake Powell to dip to record lows.

Although Lake Mead is projected to rise 33 feet higher than expected this year due to unusually high snowpack in the Upper Colorado River Basin, the Colorado River system has experienced severe drought conditions for more than two decades and will remain at risk. Today, Lake Powell and Lake Mead are 26% full when combined.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Google Drive Lake Mead Water Levels on April 25, 2023
Google Drive Lake Mead Water Levels on April 30, 2023
Bureau of Reclamation Glen Canyon Dam Long-Term Experimental and Management Plan
National Park Service Overview of Lake Mead
Bureau of Reclamation Above-average snowpack and projected runoff will send more water from Lake Powell to Lake Mead
Vox The worst-case scenario for drought on the Colorado River
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The Nevada Independent
The Nevada Independent is a nonpartisan, nonprofit news and opinion website founded in 2017 by veteran political journalist and commentator Jon Ralston. The site and its supporting channels are focused on ethical, unbiased and transparent journalism. In general, we aim to gather and disseminate important public information and increase civic engagement. We are supported by corporate donations, memberships, event ticket sales and sponsorships and foundation grants. We disclose all our members and donors. Donors have no influence over our content, ever. The Nevada Independent is the dba for Nevada News Bureau, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit founded in 2010 by Elizabeth Thompson, who now serves as one of The Nevada Independent's managing directors and its Editor.
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.