For daily updates on Colorado River lake levels see: Lake Mead and Lake Powell.
Sharp declines in Colorado River flows jeopardize Hudbay Minerals’ plan to construct and operate the Copper World mine. Hudbay has a binding legal agreement with the Town of Sahuarita to recharge 105% of the groundwater it pumps with water diverted from the Colorado River via the Central Arizona Project canal.
Future water allocations of CAP water could be slashed, casting serious doubt over whether Hudbay will be able to access more than 500,000-acre feet of CAP water needed to replenish the groundwater that will be used by Copper World over the life the mine.
The Colorado River runoff from the Rocky Mountains is at record lows. The water stored behind two major reservoirs that border Arizona — Lake Mead and Lake Powell — is rapidly declining and approaching “dead pool” levels. Both lakes have reached their lowest levels since construction.
Dead pool is the critical water level where a reservoir drops so low that water can no longer flow downstream through the dam by gravity. If this occurs, water stops passing the dam, cutting off supplies for millions of people.
Lake Mead, which is impounded by Hoover Dam, hits dead pool when the lake surface reaches 895 feet above sea level. The hydropower generators require the lake to be above 950 feet. The current level is 1,039 feet as of Aug. 12, 2026.
Lake Powell, which is upstream from Lake Mead and impounded by the Glen Canyon Dam, has a dead pool level of 3, 370 feet. The minimum level to operate the hydropower generators is 3,490 feet. The current level is 3,520 as of Aug. 12, 2026.
For more information on Hudbay’s agreement to recharge 105% of the groundwater it pumps with Colorado River water delivered through the Central Arizona Project, click the button below:
