Facility

Hoover Dam / Lake Mead (Bureau of Reclamation)

Hoover Dam (Boulder City NV/Mohave County AZ border; completed 1935; 726-foot concrete arch-gravity dam; 2,074 MW nameplate hydroelectric capacity; operated by Bureau of Reclamation) creates Lake Mead — the largest US reservoir by water volume (capacity: 26.12 million acre-feet; ~37 miles long when full; ~112 miles of shoreline). Lake Mead is the principal storage reservoir for the Lower Colorado River Basin and the primary water source for Nevada (Southern Nevada Water Authority intakes), Arizona (via Davis Dam and Lake Havasu), and California (via Colorado River Aqueduct). Hoover Dam generates approximately 4 billion kWh/year at full capacity for the Southwest power grid (Nevada, Arizona, California). As Lake Mead elevation drops below 1,075 feet, hydroelectric capacity decreases — losing approximately 25% of power output at Tier 1 shortage level. At 895-900 feet elevation (dead pool / minimum power pool), Hoover Dam generators can no longer operate. Lake Mead reached its historic low of 1,041 feet on July 26, 2022 — triggering both the first-ever Tier 2 shortage declaration AND reducing Hoover Dam power generation by approximately 30%. Source: https://www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam/faqs/damfaqs.html