Lake Mead is the largest reservoir in the US, supplying water to Arizona, Southern California, southern Nevada and northern Mexico. As such, its levels can provide a useful indication of the water situation in the US Southwest. And the picture right now is anything but comforting.

At 1073ft above sea level, the July reading at the Hoover Dam was the lowest elevation since the reservoir was filled in the late 1930s, lower even than the first threshold (1075ft) that triggers emergency rationing measures across several states.

However, the crucial measurement is not the current level but the mid-August assessment by the Bureau of Reclamation for 1 January 2017. And if it is below that threshold an official water shortage at Lake Mead will be declared.

Continue reading “Las Vegas Water-Rationing Looms Amid “Structural Drought” In US Southwest”