Lake Powell hits historic low

A massive reservoir known as a boating mecca dipped below a critical threshold on Tuesday raising new concerns about a source of power that millions of people in the U.S. West rely on for electricity.

Lake Powell's fall to below 3,525 feet puts it at its lowest level. Federal officials are confident water levels will rise in the coming months once snow melts in the Rockies. But they warn that more may need to be done to ensure Glen Canyon Dam can keep producing hydropower in the years ahead. If Lake Powell drops even more, it could soon hit "deadpool," the point at which water likely would fail to flow through the dam and onto Lake Mead. About 5 million customers in seven states, Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, buy power generated at Glen Canyon Dam.