Posted on 06/21/2022 3:06:26 PM PDT by blam
The surface of Lake Mead, North America’s largest artificial reservoir, now stands at 1044 feet above sea level and is dropping fast. If Lake Mead’s water level falls another 149 feet, a dangerous level known as a “dead pool” could wreak havoc across Southwestern US.
Since the beginning of March, Lake Mead has dropped about 23 feet, and compared with the 5-year trend, the reservoir’s water levels are well below average, at the lowest point since the lake was filled nearly a century ago.
A graph might not do justice to visualizing just how fast the water level has fallen. So here are three pictures of a sunken speedboat in the lake and the corresponding date. Just in May, the boat was partially submerged. Now there’s no water.
If Lake Mead were to keep dropping, it could be a couple of years until a danger zone at 895 feet is reached, which is the point water would no longer pass through Hoover Dam to supply California, Arizona, and Mexico. Below 895 feet, the lake would be considered a “dead pool.”
BREAKING: Lake Mead has now dropped to 1044.39 feet in elevation for the first time since the lake was filled nearly 100 years ago.
This is a loss of 1.18 feet or 14.2″ in the last 7 days when I last reported on this.
Dead pool is now < 150 feet away.https://t.co/7fUfKF4exK pic.twitter.com/5TBQgvcntt
— Edgar McGregor (@edgarrmcgregor) June 20, 2022
For more context of what’s happened over the last three decades as a megadrought grips the US West, here’s a view of the spillway of the Hoover Dam in 1983 versus 2021.
Weather satellites have captured an absolutely stunning view of the lake rapidly shrinking in the last two years.
Lake Mead and Lake Powell, the 2 largest reservoirs in the US, which provide water to over 40 million Americans in Nevada, Arizona and California, are at their lowest levels ever.
This will have unprecedented consequences and require drastic water restrictions never seen before. pic.twitter.com/VSb6ZMtPRq
— US StormWatch (@US_Stormwatch) June 15, 2022
A lake observer on YouTuber shows how the water level has dangerously dropped in the last two weeks.
No, he is mad because they let the water in that area flow out to the sea, or send it all to Los Angeles.
What could possibly go wrong with building massive mega cities in the desert and pretending there is plenty of water???
Punctuation is a wonderful thing. You really should employ it. Thanks.
Looks like all your guns that were in it already rusted away.....
And unstated…a major portion of that alfalfa and hay grown in the deserts of California and Arizona is dried and exported through the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to feed cattle in Japan, China, Taiwan and South Korea. Just drinking up the majority of the Colorado River to feed cattle in Asia and Saudi Arabia.
Brilliant.
Ca also shooting itself in the foot by not putting in desalination plants on coast
;) 😉😉
It's a damn. If it dropped at all someone had to open the gates. Are the gates constantly closed and the only water that goes down stream is from the turbines only?
Nevada businesses grow hay & alfalfa just like California businesses.
Nevada businesses raise cattle just like cattle businesses in California, Saudi Arabia, and Asia.
The “blame game” and irony is quite amusing.
I’m seeing a lot of arrows from conservative bowmen directed at the agriculture sector or “big ag” in their terminology.
“Not a good trend, not a good trend at all IMO.”
So, they are emptying it, the level is not dropping!
Republicans fault.
Women children minorities trannies illegals hurt the worst.
Hope you didn't dislocate your shoulder with the contortions you went through to somehow make this about Ukraine.
“Hope you didn’t dislocate your shoulder with the contortions”
No contortions needed, it WILL be the Leftists in the US who will block any type of pipeline. And yes, literally EVERY DEMOCRAT voted for the Neocon War in Ukraine. The only ones against it were 60 or so Republicans (led by Rand Paul), ONLY REPUBLICANS.
shut California’s water supply off until they beg for mercy.
shut California’s water supply off until they beg for mercy.
I’m impressed and appreciate the data and facts. One question...what is dead pool? That seems to be a key to the whole thing. Again....appreciate your expertise.
Mr. Dallas,
With all due respect, I must disagree with your analysis. I can offer a solution that will seem controversial on its face, but having life experience in this area, I may be able to offer a different insight.
But first, a little background...
as a news reporter/director, I recall attending a Geology seminar (public meeting) back in 2003 at UNLV. I remember this from remembering some green activist openly state ‘... the biggest threat to the environment is agriculture...’. I was more surprise that no one was shocked as her comment, but I digress...
The main thrust of the meeting was a push for federal funding to push for additional water resources, and the U.S. Geological Survey (yes - feds) had predicted that if a solution wasn’t found in say 5 years, there could be ‘water wars’ (their words) by 2025.
Pretty accurate, huh?
However, they put the blame of the water level dropping on the increase in population. People need water - regardless of income level. Same with food. Food needs demand increase in agriculture. I remember this. One needs to just look at the population of the high desert area from AZ, NV and southern CA from when Hoover Dam was built and compare it to now. The only thing added was those Vegas ‘straws’.
If/when CA and AZ start running out of water in that climate, you can very well see ‘water wars’. I saw what happened in Vegas one 100 degree day when an apartment complex was out of water for 9 hours (Clark County’s finest almost lost control of the situation).
Now, think about that with say 20-25 million folks depending on that puddle of water. Not just for drinking, but that same puddle has to keep generators running, which in turn keeps the AC on, and most of the local wells running where there is no city water.
Get the picture?
With that said, here’s my suggestion for a ‘possible’ solution, although it’s clearly NOT an overnight fix:
A capillary pipe system that pumps sea water from say Monterey CA toward Death Valley. It’s 282 feet below sea level. Get those pipes filled to the peak, and let gravity do the rest. Fill the valley until it’s at mean sea level.
Of course, the is not potable water. It’s not meant to be. But with the high temps, most will just evaporate away - and come back down as rain or humidity somewhere eastbound - as in the Colorado Valley...
... thus allowing the hot climate to act as a natural desalination plant.
Go ahead. Call me crazy, but I’ll bet I’m not the first person who’s thought of it.
Just my $0.02
jimjohn - OUT.
Hear Hear , well said
I found VDH’s arguments compelling. I was at NAS Lemore in the 70’s when the Central Valley was still an agricultural powerhouse. Friends say that is no longer the case.
I don't agree that the problem is almonds or agriculture. California followed progressives and utopians who opposed building dams and infrastructure, replenishing its groundwater aquafiers, and maintaining sufficient reservior capacity to support its needs. It can't support 40 million people and its utopian schemes.
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