Drought sends Lake Mead to lowest level since 1937

LAS VEGAS (AP) - The drought has sent Lake Mead to a low not seen in a lifetime.

The reservoir on the Colorado River hasn't been down so low since 1937, when it was being filled for the first time behind the newly completed Hoover Dam.

Since drought took hold on the Colorado and its tributaries in 1999, the surface of the lake has plunged almost 130 feet.

The low reached by the lake Sunday poses major problems for the Southern Nevada Water Authority, which draws 90 percent of the Las Vegas Valley's drinking water from intake pipes that will start to shut down if the lake falls another 33 feet.

If the lake drops another eight feet, federal officials will declare a shortage on the river, an unprecedented move that would cut Nevada's river share by about

6 percent.