Guest Post by Mark Crispin Miller
Another “cure” that’s worse than the disease.
New photos show how Lake Mead’s waters have dropped to their lowest levels in history, revealing objects that have laid hidden beneath the surface for years.
Among the latest finds to be revealed by the receding waters is a World War II era landing craft, the same kind that dropped American troops on the Normandy beaches on D-Day in 1944.
The boat – a Higgins landing craft – was previously about 185 feet beneath the surface of the lake, but now rests halfway out of the water.
Water levels in Lake Mead – the largest reservoir in the US, which is formed by the Hoover Dam River and sits about 24 miles from Las Vegas – have reached their lowest level since 1971.
Levels have been declining for the past few years, as a result of the ongoing megadrought in the southwestern US, as well as increasing demand for water.
In addition to the Higgins craft and a number of other shipwrecks, the skeletal remains of several bodies that some suspect to be victims of Las Vegas’ notorious mob past have been found along the lakes new shorelines.
The boat – a Higgins landing craft – was previously about 185 feet beneath the surface of the lake, but now rests halfway out of the water
The top of the first water intake pipe at Lake Mead is now visible as the lake’s plummeting water level hit a new record low.
“It’s official – the top of Intake No. 1 is now visible and the low lake level pumping station is now operational,” tweeted Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA).
After nearly half a century, the first intake is out of service and can no longer draw water. Water levels at the lake hit record lows this week, falling to 1,056 feet. Luckily, SNWA has two other intakes at much lower levels that are still operational.
“There was no impact to operation’s ability to deliver water,” Bronson Mack, public outreach officer SNWA, told CNN. “Customers didn’t notice anything. It was a seamless transition,” he said while referring to the switch of intake number 2.
Lake Mead – the West’s largest reservoir – is running dry again and is on track to fall below a critical threshold in 2020, according to a new forecast by the Bureau of Reclamation.
In 2016, Lake Mead water levels drop to new record lows (since it was filled in the 1930s) leaving Las Vegas facing existential threats unless something is done. Las Vegas and its 2 million residents and 40 million tourists a year get almost all their drinking water from the Lake and at levels below 1075ft, the Interior Department will be forced to declare a “shortage,” which will lead to significant cutbacks for Arizona and Nevada.
Continue reading “Leaking Las Vegas: West’s Biggest Reservoir Nears Critical Threshold”
About all that water and packed snow in the mountains … ummmm … BULLSHIT!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=FIawUtAmejE
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 08/23/2015 15:50 -0400
For months we have been warning that “Vegas is screwed” as water levels continue to plunge in its most crucial reservoirs. Non-government experts are waving red flags that something must be done (and even NASA scientists fear the worst) while the government remains quiet. And then just 3 months ago, Lake Mead water levels mysteriously plunged to levels that were perilously close to emergency for Vegas water supply, then quickly reverted after the government confirmed that a malfunctioning indicator was at fault.
Now, we note, having given them time to ‘fix’ whatever problem there may be, Lake Mead water levels have not been reported since July 9th – six weeks??!!
Continue reading “Why Has The Government Stopped Reporting Lake Mead Water Levels?”
This is it, warns one water advocate, “it really does (make critical) the fact that we have to start changing.” Lake Mead water levels have sunk to their lowest levels on record (below the levels when the dam was built) at 1075 feet. This is a major problem, as USA Today reports, since Las Vegas water authority’s current “straws” glean water from 1,050 feet and 1,000 feet – leaving the first straw just 25 feet away from pulling in air. With the drought only set to get worse as the summer begins, the water wars are just beginning as Lower-basin states are still taking more than the river system can sustain.
Bad and getting worse…
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/25/2015 19:16 -0400
Following our exposure of the plunge in Lake Mead water levels post Friday’s earthquake, officials were quick to point out that the drop was “due to erroneous meter readings” – which in itself is odd given we have not seen such an aberration before in the measurements. The data today shows a super surge in the Lake Mead water level – which, even more mysteriously, indicates from pre-earthquake to now, the Lake has risen by the most in a 3-day-period in years (as long as we have found history). How was this level ‘manufactured’ you ask? Simple – discharge flows from the Hoover Dam were curtailed dramatically. We are sure there is a simple explanation for all this…
Yesterday we noted the plunge in Lake Mead water levels…
Officials said – do not worry, the readings are faulty…
Lake Mead’s elevation has NOT dropped to 1,068 feet. Some inaccurate data was posted online. We are at 1,077 feet. http://www.usbr.gov/lc/region/g4000/hourly/hourly.html …
Which resulted in this miracle…
Lake Mead, the reservoir next to Hoover Dam, shrunk to 39 per cent of its capacity last year and was at its lowest level since the dam was built in the 1930s.
Something truly fascinating happens when the water levels drop at Lake Powell, an important waterway shared by Utah and Arizona.
The sandstone that surrounds the lake is a deep reddish color above the water line, but the minerals in the lake’s water turn the stone white, according to the National Park Service. Known as a “bathtub ring,” it provides an accurate reading for the water level using only the naked eye. The more white you can see on the sandstone, the lower the water level.
As is evident in the photos above, water levels have dropped significantly in Lake Powell – as they have all over the Colorado River Basin – since a widespread, long-term drought began in the West. These images, taken last week, show just how far below normal levels the lake has fallen.
For years, Lake Powell’s water levels have been dropping as the West dries out. Now, much of the river basin is in moderate to severe drought, with some areas in danger of falling into extreme drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Late last year, National Geographic wrote about the lake’s decline. Tree-ring data showed the last millennium had droughts far worse than the West has experienced in the first 15 years of the 2000s. Scientists believe there’s another megadrought coming to the area, and by the year 2100, water levels in the Colorado River Basin will be even lower than they are now. Median estimates project 45 percent less runoff at that time than we’re seeing now, the report added.
Lake Powell serves as a water supplier for 40 million people in seven states, according to NBC News. The reservoir also keeps the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead from flooding.