The reservoir outside Las Vegas that provides water to the US Southwest region, including Arizona and California, has remained below full capacity since 1983, but this year it reached an historic low level. Lake Mead is around 143 feet below 'full,' a deficit roughly the height of the Statue of Liberty. A pale outline on the rocks surrounding the lake dubbed the 'bathtub ring' is a visual reminder of how high water levels once were here. "I've been coming here for almost a little bit over 20 years and I've never seen it this low," says a local boater. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES