The water level on Nevada's Lake Mead dropped below 1,080 feet for the first time in 78 years on Tuesday.

The last time the water level was below 1,080 feet on Lake Mead was in , about the time it was being filled in its first few years of existence. Lake Mead was created by the damming of the Colorado River after the Hoover Dam.

, the lake level was at 1,079.9 feet as of Tuesday evening.

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Southern Nevada, which includes Las Vegas, gets 90 percent of its water from the Colorado River, (SNWA). The SNWA is slated to complete a third water intake "this summer.

The the intake for the "third straw" will be at 860 feet, which should be low enough to draw water from Lake Mead at elevations as low as 1,000 feet. If the lake level falls below 1,050 feet the first intake, or "first straw", would no longer be usable. The second intake, or "second straw", would be usable until the lake level falls to about 1,000 feet.

for the "third straw" is to preserve the existing water intake capacity should the lake level fall below the 1,050 foot elevation of the first intake. Secondary objectives include improving the water quality and the system reliability.

Lake Mead in Historic Drought

A buoy warning 'no boats' stands on dirt at the abandoned Echo Bay Marina on July 13 in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Nevada. The marina closed last year after no businesses wanted to operate it, in part due to falling water levels according to the National Park Service. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)