Severe Drought Sinks Lake Powell 45% Below Its Capacity

The lower Colorado River Basin is experiencing a severe drought resulting in Lake Powell's, one of the nation's largest reservoirs, capacity below 45% of normal.

Lake Powell is a popular vacation destination for residents living in western Colorado and the surrounding areas. The man-made reservoir plays hosts to millions of visitors each year who use the lake for boating, swimming camping and more.

Lake Powell also supplies water to 40 million people in Nevada, Arizona and California.

The Colorado River Basin and Western states have been plagued by drought for over 14 years, while each year all of the water from the Colorado River is being pumped out before it empties into the Gulf of California.

Justin Sullivan, a photographer for Getty Images, was recently exploring Lake Powell and shared his photos of his trip. Take a look in the gallery above.

[The Washington Post]