Lake Mead is shrinking.
For the first time since Lake Mead was created nearly a century ago, the federal government will soon cut the amount of water flowing to Nevada, Arizona and Mexico.
Lake Mead is fed by the mighty Colorado River, which flows more than 1,400 miles from the Rocky Mountains to the Gulf of California. Seven states and Mexico each take a share of the water. 40 million people rely on it.
But the demand for water is now more than the Colorado River can supply. Climate change, drought and more people are helping grow an enormous water deficit that some estimates say could top 200 billion gallons.
