The second-largest reservoir in the US has hit all-time low water levels amid a climate change-induced megadrought engulfing the country’s western states.

Lake Powell, a massive reservoir on the Utah-Arizona border, saw its water levels reach a record low of 3,553ft (1,082m) last week.

The National Park Service, which is in charge of the popular boating holiday and watersports destination, has been forced to bar people from launching houseboats on to the water because of the low levels.

At the popular main launch point on Wahweap Bay, the bottom of a concrete ramp has been extended with steel pipes so boats are still able to get on the lake but that solution is expected to only last another week or two, the park service said.

One nearby homeowner who was hoping to return to Wahweap Bay, Bill Schneider, said: “The park service has failed to plan.

“If it gets to the point where we’re so low that you can’t put boats in the water and you can’t come up with a solution to put boats in the water, why would you come to Lake Powell?”

Houseboat rental companies have also had to cancel their bookings throughout August, one of their most popular months.

People heading to the lake to water ski, kayak or paddleboard have been left disappointed as one ramp into the water is so far above the surface people have to carry equipment down a steep cliff face to reach it.

Lake Powell is the second-largest reservoir in the US, behind Nevada’s Lake Mead, which also stores water from the Colorado River.

Both are shrinking faster than expected, a dire concern for a seven-state region that relies on the river to supply water to 40 million people and a $5bn-a-year (£3.5bn) agricultural industry.

Government officials began releasing water from sources upstream last month to keep the lake’s level from dropping so low it could have threatened hydropower supplied by the dam.

A number of other large bodies of water in the western part of the country have also seen lower water levels this summer, including the Great Salt Lake in Utah and Lake Orville in California.

It comes as hot temperatures scorch soil and cause more river water to evaporate as it streams through the drought-plagued West, with studies linking the region’s more than 20-year megadrought to human-caused climate change.

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Bill Diak, the mayor of Page, a town that relies heavily on lake tourism, said: “We could have been a little bit more proactive on planning… but we’re moving in the right direction now working together.”

He also stressed that the impact of climate change needs to be addressed, noting that western US states could be facing far more pressing issues than lake access if the drought continues for another 20 years.

Sky News has launched the first daily prime time news show dedicated to climate change.

The Daily Climate Show is broadcast at 6.30pm and 9.30pm Monday to Friday on Sky News, the Sky News website and app, on YouTube and Twitter.

Hosted by Anna Jones, it follows Sky News correspondents as they investigate how global warming is changing our landscape and how we all live our lives.

The show also highlights solutions to the crisis and how small changes can make a big difference.

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