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(Las Vegas-AP) -- Drought-stricken Lake Mead has dropped to its lowest level since 1969, prompting southern Nevada water officials to renew warnings about the area's dwindling water supply.
The lake is the main source of drinking water for southern Nevada. Lake Mead reached one-thousand, 145 feet above sea level on Thursday.
Lake Mead about 30 miles east of Las Vegas. It still has almost five-point-two trillion gallons of water and is about 61 percent full.
Officials said the lake level is down more than 50 feet from its high just three years ago. The low level is a product of nearly four years of drought in the Rocky Mountains, which funnels water to the lake via the Colorado River.
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)