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.
The lack of folks not willing to spend 50,000+ bucks on an electric vehicle is a direct cause of this. evs will save the world as we know it.
You don’t have to take my word for this. Just go ask FJB about this. He’ll tell ya.
Very interesting.
So glad I live in Pennsylvania.
But we have to worry about floods every now and then.
I don’t know how Putin does it all.
He must have mega-superpowers.
>> If cali ever declares its leaving the water should be the first thing cut off immediately. <<
Dear Lord, why would you disincentivize California leaving?
I think it means you can chop off all of Lake Mead’s body parts and they’ll grow back again. ;-)
LOL......I googled it. It’s what I thought it was. Mead is just 149 feet from doomsday for California. Couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch.....Newsome, Pelosi, etc.
Global cooling is a better answer.
Cooler sun, less condensation
-PJ
Wow. Good information. Thanks.
As the lake shrinks, this problem will reduce as the surface area will be reduced
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