Drought is draining the West’s largest reservoir, Lake Mead, to historic low levels

Tires that once were underwater are now high and dry above the water line at the now-defunct Echo Bay Marina in Lake Mead.

Cracked and curled mud covers the ground at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. The area once was underwater, but a persistent drought has left the dry lake bed exposed.

A buoy lies in the dry lake bed of what was Echo Bay Marina in Lake Mead.

Low water levels in the Lake Mead reservoir and at the Hoover Dam show a “bath tub ring” on Oct. 14, 2015. Water in the lake has continued to drop.