Five-year Drought Threatens Colorado River States' Water and Power

PAGE, AZ - SEPTEMBER 26: The Colorado River flows though Marble Canyon downstream from Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell as the five-year-old Western drought continues on September 26, 2004 southwest of Page, Arizona. Colorado River streamflow records indicate that this is the worst drought in more than 100 years. The seven states sharing the Colorado River are considering a plan to protect the 186-mile-long Lake Powell by cutting the amount of water released downstream to Lake Mead, which is the primary water supply for Las Vegas, Nevada. The drought has left the two massive reservoirs that catch the Colorado River less than half full, exposing long-submerged landscapes to direct sunlight for the first time in decades and officials fear that the levels will fall too low to turn the electric turbines that produce electricity. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)