00:00The Hoover Dam electrified the American West. It still powers about 1.3 million homes a year.
00:06But by next April, it's projected to power a lot fewer. And if your electricity comes from it,
00:10you'll likely be paying more. A new government study forecasts that next April, the water levels
00:15in Lake Mead will be too low to run 70% of the dam's hydroelectric turbines. And Lake Mead isn't
00:22expected to rise back above that threshold anytime soon. Utility companies in Nevada are already
00:27raising the alarm that this could mean higher prices for residents. Upstream, at Lake Powell,
00:32water levels are forecast to drop to within feet of the minimum elevation needed to generate power
00:37from the Glen Canyon Dam. Those turbines are one of the backup power sources for America's second
00:43largest nuclear power plant located in Arizona. I wanted to find out how the river's low flow
00:48affects the power grid's margin for error, and how much we all pay to keep the lights on.
00:53I'm Keaton Peters, energy reporter for Straight Arrow. Check out my full story over at san.com.
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