Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam are seen in Nevada and Arizona, on 23 April 2015. Lake Mead, the largest capacity reservoir in the United States, dropped to its lowest water level in recorded history on 26 April 2015 as its source, the Colorado River, suffers from 14 years of severe drought. Photo: Lucy Nicholson / REUTERS

By Victoria Cavaliere; Editing by Sandra Maler
24 April 2015

(Reuters) – Nevada's Lake Mead, the largest capacity reservoir in the United States, is on track to drop to its lowest water level in recorded history on Sunday as its source, the Colorado River, suffers from 14 years of severe drought, experts said on Friday.

The 79-year-old reservoir, formed by the building of the Hoover Dam outside Las Vegas, was expected to dip below 1,080 feet on Sunday, lower than a previous record of 1,080.19 feet last August, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

Predictions show that on May 31, the reservoir will have dipped again to 1,075 feet, well below its record high levels of around 1,206 feet in the 1980s, according to Bureau of Reclamation data.

Lake Mead supplies water to agriculture and about 40 million people in Nevada, Arizona, Southern California, and northern Mexico.

The water source and several other man-made reservoirs springing from the 1,450-mile (2,230-km) Colorado River, have dropped to as low as 45 percent of their capacity as the river suffers a 14th straight year of crippling drought.

About 96 percent of the water in Lake Mead is from melted snow that falls in "upper basin" states of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Wyoming, officials said.

Over the past 14 years, snowfall has dropped in the Rocky Mountains, leading to a drop in snow pack runoff that feeds the river, according to Bureau of Reclamation statistics. In 2013, runoff was at 47 percent of normal.

The lake's levels are nearing a critical trigger where federal officials will have to start rationing water deliveries to Nevada, Arizona, and parts of California. States in the region have enacted action plans to lessen greenhouse gas emissions linked to climate change. [more]

Nevada's Lake Mead on track to reach record low water level amid drought


  1. Anonymous said...

    And it's only APRIL. What will SUMMER bring?

    Climate change deniers are embracing astounding levels of STUPIDITY.

    I just heard from one person that "it's Judgement". He believes that God is doing this (including the earthquake in Nepal). Unbelievable.

    The disconnect that religious people have to reality is extremely disturbing. Apparently they think that the lack of rain and snow is being caused by a Magical Sky God. And (according to him) they're "withholding" any more rain "on purpose to control the population".

    This bizarre and ridiculous assertion is part of the climate denial meme. And it's dangerous thinking because it encourages many bad life decisions, all which have terrible effects (on everyone, not just the indoctrinated).

    It is astounding that basic science (and I mean very basic simple science like rainfall) is being so widely discounted as being "real". It's also very scary that such people are so unbelievably deluded as to think that the laws of physics and nature "don't apply" (anywhere).

    What kind of a world do these people live in? Well, actually I know, as I was once deeply and intimately involved myself for a very long time. So I can answer that question. It's a world of make-believe and imagination, boogey men and fabricated fear wrapped around ancient superstitions that still exist today. With an escape "clause" for the "believers".

    So that's why climate change denial from this particular group will always continue. They don't HAVE to accept reality or science or evidence or facts. They only have to hold out long enough to "escape" (Rapture).

    I've spent many years trying to undue this damaging belief in my own life and in the lives of others. My only real "success" has been self and family. Very few others have allowed any evidence (facts) to change their world views or beliefs.

    This is an area in the climate change denial meme that is poorly addressed. Many of the remaining millions of Americans are so deeply deluded by their religion as to be unable to accept basic science or evidence.

    For those of you that do not know - this IS being taught from pulpits across America. Climate change is "divine judgement" (or "not happening") and members are being encouraged to simply discard and ignore any and all evidence, science and proof. Even worse, they're being encouraged to consider such evidence or proof of a "conspiracy".

    None of this makes any sense of course and it all refutes reality. But we're not dealing with reasonable people. We're dealing with a huge segment of the population of this country that is deeply deluded and willing to accept any other explanation except the real one.

    Along with the "escape clause" they embrace there is also the teaching that "I'm not responsible" for any of this too. Climate change in their minds is not the fault of humans or human activity. Since it is ordained by God, it is the will of God that this occur.

    This view embraces irresponsibility. It is not any different then leaving your hose running on your lawn night and day, 24/7 365 days a year. Go ahead - it's "God's responsibility" to determine how much rain or snow the country has, or how full the reservoirs are.

    Magnify this by tens of millions, each one in a thousand different ways not caring or being responsible with their activity (and not just with water either, but in everything) and the problem of responsibility is absolutely gargantuan.



  2. Anonymous said...


    There is no hope for a country or a world that cannot come to grips with the real world. It will always be plagued by violence, war, destruction, death, pollution and irresponsibility.

    This is our only home. This is where we live the only life we will ever have. Ignoring what we are doing is absolutely insane - but this is exactly what the religious insist - don't pay any attention to any of this because a "new home" awaits.

    The absurdity of this should not be lost on anyone. Millions of people are wasting their entire lives while living on this planet "awaiting the next life" and even encouraging it to happen sooner. They simply do not care what happens in the here and now, and will refuse any responsibility for anything that occurs. If God is behind this and everything else, then "let God deal with it".

    Does that remind you of any other group? Yes - Muslims are doing the same things, as are most of the religious groups around the world. They too believe in an escape clause. Now you've got BILLIONS of people, all living and existing here but NONE of them are aware that THEY are DIRECTLY and indirectly responsible for what is happening on this planet (and it's far, far more then climate change).

    THIS is a root problem at the very core of the climate change denial meme (and at the core of many other problems areas including politics, Republicans, right to life, environmental destruction, etc., etc.)

    There are several BILLION humans who are so disconnected from reality and the real world and how things actually work (physics, science, nature, resources) that any hope of changing the course of humanity HAS to being with educating these people to the real physical world and the cause and effect relationship of humans and human activities.

    Good luck with that however. The pendulum is swinging again and it is not headed towards anything good. ~JR~  


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