Lake Mead

reservoir on the Colorado River, Nevada and Arizona in the United States

Key facts

Location: Clark County, Nevada and Mohave County, Arizona
Lake type: Reservoir
Primary inflows: Colorado River , Virgin River
Primary outflows: Colorado River
Basin countries: United States
First flooded: September 30, 1935 ; 90 years ago ( 1935-09-30 ) by the Hoover Dam
Max length: 120 mi (190 km)
Surface area: 247 mi (640 km )
Max depth: 532 ft (162 m)
Water volume: Maximum : 26,134,000 acre⋅ft (32.236 km )
Shore length: 759 mi (1,221 km)
Surface elevation: Maximum : 1,229 ft (375 m)

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Article

Lake Mead is a reservoir formed by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River in the Southwestern United States. It is located in the states of Nevada and Arizona, 24 mi (39 km) east of Las Vegas. It is the largest reservoir in the US in terms of water capacity. Lake Mead provides water to the states of Arizona, California, and Nevada as well as some of Mexico, providing sustenance to nearly 20 million people and large areas of farmland.

At maximum capacity, Lake Mead is 112 miles (180 km) long, 532 feet (162 m) at its greatest depth, has a surface elevation of 1,229 feet (375 m) above sea level, has a surface area of 247 square miles (640 km), and contains 28.23 million acre-feet (34.82 km) of water.