Lake Mead sits at 1,038.87 ft as of Aug. 30, 2026 — down from 1,050 ft when this story was first reported in June — just 3.87 ft above the 1,035 ft threshold where 12 of the dam's 17 turbines go offline. The Bureau of Reclamation's August forecast projects the lake at 1,034.74 ft by the end of 2026, meaning we could see a 70% capacity drop this year.