Not delivering water to 25 million people is not an option," said Aaron about the population depending on Meads water Dam. "We'll take anything. In the summer of 2022 Lake Mead's water level dropped to an historic low of 1,040.71 feet, or almost 14 feet lower than its current level. By Lucas Thompson Officials in Arizona, California and Nevada have agreed to a new water conservation plan in an effort to stabilize the water level of Lake Mead, which in June fell to. The plan also calls for the use of new water conservation systems, temporary holds of water in the lake to be released and used by all, and voluntary, temporary and compensated reductions in water usage. "They don't look good," admitted Aaron. With a release this year of 8.23 MAF from Lake Powell, we can expect Lake Meads levels to drop again. Their plan this year is to fallow 1,200 acres, reducing their consumptive use by 6,100 acre-feet. I agree we need to look at other options first but we cant put that on the back burner, it needs to be an option always. The shortage would be declared for one year, renewable annually depending on conditions. Starts going down the west side it should be generating electricity as it flows. To me its over popularization and the amount of concrete we are putting down out west. FOX Business Kelley OGrady reported the reduction would force the Golden State to import more energy and lead to a 5% increase in wholesale prices across the West. But 20 years later, it has shrunken drastically. Call 911 For All Emergencies (24 hours) Don't get me wrong. Using less water is cheaper than developing new supplies. Tribes in the Colorado River Basin are fighting for their water. Here are some people to tell CA Gov. ITS A DIFFERENT LAKE EVERY TIME'; SUNKEN BOATS EMERGE FROM DWINDLING LAKE MEAD. Opinion Letters to the Editor: Fill Lake Mead with water from this defective reservoir A white "bathtub ring" behind the Hoover Dam shows the low water level at Lake Mead on June 11.. With intervening flows between Lake Powell and Lake Mead of 0.634 maf in calendar year 2023, Lake Mead's physical elevation is projected to be 1,010.95 feet on December 31, 2023. The economic impacts to the states that tap water from the Colorado River are significant, with no relief in sight. After a record, nearly full pool, in 1983, water levels in Lake Mead have dropped to the lowest since 1935. As part of the deal, the states that rely on Mead water are agreeing to leave about 480,000 acre-feet of that water in Lake Powell, thus lowering the water levels in Mead. Ive not seen approaches that can do that on the scale of Lake Mead or Lake Powell, but I remain ever hopeful. Think about all this construction, with the amount of houses being built we are wasting water to keep the dust down. Populations boom and bust over water. Lake Mead tied its all-time low of 1,071.56 feet on June 9 and has continued to set incrementally lower records since. In ordinary circumstances, the Bureau of Reclamation releases water from Lake Powell into an even larger reservoir called Lake Mead, from which it then flows to households and farms across the Southwest. The seven states that draw water from the overtapped Colorado River sponsored a 2008 study that analyzed options for supplementing the river's flow. Now the basin finds itself perilously close to a Day Zero situation, Ms. Pitt said, referring to the point at which the reservoir goes dry. The runoff has continued tro be well below normal. The bureau declares a shortage with the input of the seven states that rely on the Colorado via the negotiated joint drought contingency plan, which the states signed in 2019. The San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA) is a case in point. Lake Mead tied its all-time low of 1,071.56 feet on June 9 and has continued to set incrementally lower records since. The lake is now at 28 percent its usual capacity, while during the summer it was only at 27 percent. On the energy issue, theres no way that we can generate enough electricity in the water transfer project to offset the enormous energy demand of pumping water nearly 1,000 miles and against 10,000 feet of elevation. Here's How, The second part is more complicated and less helpful. Getting the water to the top of the Continental Divide is the hard part. This is not a drought. How can the government help the 25 million people that depend on it? IE 11 is not supported. YouTube. New satellite images of the reservoir, a critical source of water for 25 million people, reveal dangerously low water levels. What is going on!?!? But its just an idea that i was thinking about. "The bureau, responsible for divvying up Lake Mead's water and electric power, in August reported a 57 percent chance that Lake Mead's water levels would be so dismal in 2020 that Arizona and Nevada would face cutoffs. Mandatory water use reductions are the only path forward as there is no "return to normal" mandatory reductions will drive innovation in water technologies (air moisture capture), financing of these technologies (crowdfunding) and business models (water as a service). In 2000, for example, the runoff was only 56 percent of normal. But only if they fairly and objectively evaluate options on the basis of cost, energy requirements, social justice, and environmental sustainability. (Travis Pardee), A formerly sunken boat rests on a now-dry section of lakebed at the drought-stricken Lake Mead on May 10, 2022 in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Nevada. Some parched parts of the world already import water via tanker ships or by towing giant water bladders across the ocean. For context, releases in recent years have averaged nearly 9 MAF, and those high releases had a big effect on draining Lake Powell over the past 20 years, but the extra water flowing downstream into Lake Mead slowed its decline substantially. The lake levels are so low that what was only the tip of the first pumping . Seven states and Mexico depend on water and power generated from the Colorado River. PDF August 2022 24-Month Study Projections Lake Powell and Lake Mead: End Lake Mead has dipped to record low water levels. Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the U.S., is crucial as a water supply to farms, cities and power generators. The real answer to your problem is to leave the southwestern desert just as the ancient people did thousands of years ago due to the lack of water. Absolutely right! They were actually designed to supply water for four years. 5 facts you need to know about Lake Mead's water crisis The Authority has made huge positive strides in bolstering their overall water security by diversifying their water sources (see below), and by incentivizing water conservation. The water for the country as a whole is more than enough. Nobody has put a halt to population increase specifically to Las Vegas- and all the new construction and accommodation to new communities! At Grist, we dont believe in paywalls. In regards to what someone posted earlier about the Missouri river I would think that there are issues east of continental divide as well. Ridiculous arguments against plan say it would take 30 years. Las Vegas Sun, 2023, All Rights Reserved, 29th Annual Summerlin Council PatrioticParade. Why are they so hard to catch? (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images), "But people are working to make sure that that doesn't happen. (Reclamation already announced earlier this year that it would delay the release of 350,000 acre-feet of water in Powell in anticipation of spring snow runoff.). Current use of the Lower Colorado River remains 16% (1.2 MAF/year) too high, so the sooner we can begin to stabilize and refill Lakes Mead and Powell, the better. I would think multiple large desalination plants and pipelines would be required. What you need to know about Lake Mead's falling water levels It seems like nobody cares if Lake Mead dries up or nothing is being done until the last minute to help remedy the issue!!! You should learn to do the same. The water level in Lake Mead is lower than it has been in over 40 years. This is a tourist town and water usage is 24 hours a day everyday! And to your point, that sustainable level will be a moving target, with river flows continuing to decline going forward under climate change. Since 2000, the SDCWA has been able to reduce per-capita water consumption AND its total water use by 35%. (Shawna Hollister), The No. We have to get consumptive use down to the point where the lakes can refill over the coming decade, even against the headwind (a metaphor consistent with your deck chairs) of climate change; we need full reservoirs to buffer against short-term extremes in river flow. KTNV's Paulina Buck speaks with the Water Authority regarding Lake Mead's lowering levels and how residents will receive water if the current water level tre. Exactly. Grist is powered by WordPress VIP. Intake towers pull in water from Lake Mead to generate power at Hoover Dam Tuesday, June 15,2021. A fish trapped as waters receded in Lake Meade. water levels in the Lake Powell reservoir, agreed to forfeit their water from Lake Powell, drought that has parched the Colorado River, How the Wests megadrought is leaving one Arizona neighborhood with no water at all, Lake Powell water crisis is about to be an energy crisis, Salton Sea public health disaster gets a $250 million shot in the arm. See How Far Water Levels in Lake Mead Have Fallen Residential water customers in Southern Nevada will see no rate increases or usage restrictions as a result of the shortage. The images, taken by NASAs Landsat program in 2000 and 2022, showcase the driest two-decade period since A.D. 800, according to a recent analysis of tree-ring data. rights reserved. it is desertification. In response to the growing crisis, the federal government has taken steps to conserve the water in the Colorado River basin. The feds also revealed that declining reservoir levels would endanger the tubes that carry water past the dams hydropower turbine, potentially depriving multiple communities of drinking water and compromising public health and safety.. While I dont agree with the metaphor, Jerry, I do understand your point. Use money from the Infrastructure budget to pay for the pipelines to move the water. It needs to happen soon though! Concrete is the biggest polluter and it prevent water from getting into the ground. Las Vegas continues to grow in housing and megaresorts. If we dont fix what is broken for the Colorado, we will feel the bite of climate change and resultant economic, business, social and ecosystem impacts at a scale exceeding the American dust bowl of the 1930s. It isnt an option to let it dry up- without Lake Mead- where will Las Vegas get water from- where will enough power be available that can facilitate the city!?!?! The Glen Canyon Dam at Lake Powell provides power to Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and Nebraska. An acre-foot is how much water it takes to flood an acre of land with one foot of water, or about 326,000 gallons. 702-293-8906 (Open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday - Friday), Download the official NPS app before your next visit, Call 911 For All Emergencies (24 hours) The shortage cuts Nevadas allotment by about 13,000 acre feet, plus a separately agreed upon 8,000 acre-foot reduction the state voluntarily agreed to in its drought contingency plan. Instead, we rely on our readers topitch in what they can so that we can continue bringing you our solution-based climate news. A8: Lake Mead continues to fluctuate monthly as downstream delivers are made by the Bureau of Reclamation. What if we flooded Death Valley out with sea water, will it create more rain in this region? Second line acceptable drinking water. If we dont fix what is broken for the Colorado River, we will feel the bite of climate change and resultant economic, business, social and ecosystem impacts at a scale exceeding the American dust bowl of the 1930s. 601 Nevada Way The American Sonoran desert environment, evolved along with the lack of water. Im not sure what the power requirements of water pumping stations are , in regards to desalination plants, according to wikipedia, Carlsbad requires 40 MW of power which is well within a nuclear power plants capacity. Water tech innovation and the future of renewables. By years end, Lake Mead will likely be somewhere around 65% empty. This hits families in the West and across the country who can afford it the least," testified Wyoming Senator John Barraso, in a Capitol hearing about dwindling water supply in the West. Everything has cause and affect. It does so, in part, through an unusual act of hydrological accounting. We need to exhaust all conservation potential before investing in those other strategies. A single mature tree can absorb as much as 200 gal. And this one pipeline is not expected to refill Lake Mead and Lake Powell. "We've already seen the snow pack from last year has melted off. This would be true water management. Over the last 20 years of sustained drought, the National Park Service has closed some lake access points and invested tens of millions of dollars at other locations to extend boat launch ramps and update other infrastructure to accommodate lowering water levels. The Colorado River Basin is the "canary in the mine" for the future of water in the American West. Under a mind-boggingly complicated set of rules called the 2007 Interim Guidelines, the US Bureau of Reclamation has some flexibility in deciding how much water to release from Lake Powell. I am no scientist but i must ask a question. There are alternatives that come with much lower cost particularly water conservation in cities and on farms that should be implemented to their maximum potential before considering costly alternatives such as long-distance water transfers. If that prediction proves true, this will be one of the driest water years since Lake Powell was constructed nearly 60 years ago. Settlers in the 1930s introduced fast-spreading salt-cedar plants to stabilize the banks of the Colorado River. There are plenty of efforts being done all over the world to regreen deserts. Is Lake Mead Drying Up - Water Online The federal govt. During the past decade Mead's level has fallen more than 100 ft., and the basin is now just over half full.
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