Lake Mead Drops 40% of Capacity Approaching First-Ever Official Water Shortage

Lake Mead provides water for 30 million residents of the arid desert regions of the west. The reservoir is only 12 feet below the level in which "allocations on the river would be cut by more than 100 billion gallons under the terms of a 2007 agreement struck by seven Western states and Mexico". The New York Times explains how Las Vegas is preparing:

Las Vegas, which draws about 90 percent of its water from Lake Mead, is particularly vulnerable to dropping lake levels. Were levels to fall to 1,050 feet, or 26 percent capacity, one of the city's two water intake pipes on the lake would cease functioning. In anticipation of such an event, water managers have developed a highly controversial plan to tap groundwater in northeast Nevada and transport it to the city via a multibillion-dollar pipeline.

Image:   Some rights reserved by kyle simourd

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Posted by Jennifer Lance at August 19, 2010 1:05 AM