Lake Mead water level dips to new record low

LAS VEGAS -- Federal water managers let the closely watched and regulated surface level at Lake Mead go to a new record low overnight, before guiding it back above a crucial drought shortage trigger point.

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation spokeswoman Rose Davis said Wednesday a record low water level of 1,074.98 feet above sea level was reached a little before midnight Tuesday.

The level increased to 1,075.05 feet by 7 a.m.

Davis says several more drops below 1,075 feet are expected in coming weeks, but the lake level will rise by the end of the year to about 1,081 feet.

That's 6 feet above the trigger point that would require a percentage cut in water supplies to Arizona and Nevada.

The reservoir behind Hoover Dam is currently about 37 percent of capacity.