Lake Mead hits historically low level as drought continues

Houseboats dock at the Echo Bay Marina in Lake Mead in 1994, before the start of a 15-year drop in the lake’s water level. (Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times)

April 29, 2015 4 AM PT

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The sprawling reservoir outside Las Vegas reached 1,079.76 feet late Tuesday afternoon – nearly 140 feet below capacity – as the prolonged drought continues to evaporate the beleaguered Colorado River system.

Lake Mead in 2005. (Joe Cavaretta / Associated Press)

As drought has taken hold in the West, the Lake Mead marina is pictured in July 2007, top, and in July 2014. (Ethan Miller / Getty Images)

Lake Mead’s receding level is evident in these images of the Arizona intake towers at Hoover Dam in 2007, top, and in 2014. (Ethan Miller / Getty Images)

Lake Mead’s marina is filled with boats in 2007, but by last year the water level had dropped precipitously. (Ethan Miller / Getty Images)

A white stripe along the shoreline indicates Lake Mead’s falling level in 2003, which has continued steadily ever since. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Visitors stroll along the pier at the Make Mead Marina. (Bob Carey / Los Angeles Times)

An algae bloom appears in Lake Mead in April 2001. The photo shows the narrows near Callville Bay looking eastward from Boulder Basin. The bloom was attributed to winter rains washing fertilizer into the lake. (John Gurzinski / Associated Press )