Storms of rain and snow have hit California particularly badly in recent months, and have spread into neighboring states like Nevada where reservoirs like Lake Mead rely on seasonal snowmelt and rainfall, a region that has suffered under a severe megadrought for over two decades. But what has this meant for the Colorado River reservoir Lake Mead? Is Lake Mead’s water level rising?
Yes-While heavy precipitation & snow melt will help with irrigation & water-saving efforts for residents & businesses in the dry southwest region of the U.S., Lake Mead has been helped very little & the Bureau of Reclamation anticipates that the water levels will start to decline again come spring.
Torrential rain on the West Coast has filled some California reservoirs to the point of overflow, and nearby states such as Utah also saw their reservoirs benefit from the excess rain. However, Lake Mead’s water levels remain relatively unchanged and still at nearly their lowest in the reservoir’s history.
Is Lake Mead Water Level Rising
This news comes after Lake Mead recently reported a 12-foot rise in water levels, following the melting of the heavy snowpack in Colorado and experimental water released from Lake Powell.
Experts said it would take more than a series of storms to compensate for decades of deficits. Some said saying the drought was over now or possibly ever would be a mistake. While the wet weather has had some short-term benefits, it is unlikely to help the bad situation of Lake Mead’s lowering water levels.
Lake Mead’s water levels have been rising overall since the end of July. The levels have risen slightly over the wet season but experts believe that isn’t done. The rising water levels along with Lake Powell and other water should continue to rise with snowmelt along with recent weather. Just mins ago 05/11/23, I checked lake levels along with news and media from the local forecast to better.
Experts said it would take more than a series of storms to compensate for decades of deficits. Some said saying the drought was over now or possibly ever would be a mistake. While the wet weather has had some short-term benefits, it is unlikely to help the bad situation of Lake Mead’s lowering water levels.
“I want to be clear that these storms and the likely rain and snow we may get over the next few weeks did not, nor will they fully, end the drought, at least not yet,” said Yana Garcia, secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency. “We’re in better shape than we were two months ago, but we’re not out of the woods.”
Indeed, the state’s wet season typically runs up to the month of April, and despite the impending storm, there remains much uncertainty about what the coming months may hold. Most of February was notably dry, with only 0.85 inches of precipitation falling throughout the state in the wake of January’s flooding.
“We’re now in a situation in California where there’s never really enough water anymore to do all of the things that everyone wants, and to declare the drought over, or the emergency over, I think would send the wrong signal,” said Peter Gleick, co-founder and president emeritus of the Pacific Institute. “I think people should still be cautious and careful and efficient, and I think water agencies should be pushing for continued improvements in water use.”
How Deep is Lake Mead Water Levels
Lake Mead has a maximum depth of more than 532 feet. This massive reservoir is the largest in the U.S., having a capacity of 28,945,000 acre-feet.
Lake Mead has a maximum depth of more than 532 feet. This massive reservoir is the largest in the U.S., having a capacity of 28,945,000 acre-feet. The reservoir was part of the original construction of the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River between Nevada and Arizona. So, when dam construction was over in 1936, Lake Mead began to fill.
But while Lake Mead has filled up slightly since its low point of July 2022, the Bureau of Reclamation anticipates that the water levels will start to decline again come spring. A Bureau of Reclamation study published in January predicted that Lake Mead could reach a new all-time low in 2023.
Lake Mead is in trouble. The reservoir’s water level has dropped so much that at present is half empty. Scientists predict that it will probably never fill up to capacity again. This situation is a significant problem for the more than 22 million people who rely on the reservoir for their water supply in the dry southwest region.
The water levels are also affecting the Southwest’s environment, which is closely tied to the fate of the Colorado River. There are too many reasons for Lake Mead’s decreasing water levels. The main one is climate change, which causes less rain and snowfall for the entire area. The other factors include the ever-growing population of the Southwest and the subsequent increasing demand for more water.
Has Lake Mead Water Level Risen This Year
Continuing a 22-year downward trend, water levels in Lake Mead stand at their lowest since April 1937, the water level at Lake Mead in Nevada, USA, was 1052.78 feet above sea level and 1052.78 feet below Full Pool as of its last reading on 05/22/2023, & Lake Mead is up 3.13 from one year ago.
The water levels have risen slightly over the wet season but this is not greatly above the lowest point it has ever reached. It reached this point in July 2022 at 1040 feet. This is the lowest the lake’s water levels have been since it was first constructed in the 1930s.
The lake is integral to the surrounding communities, not just for water supply but for electricity. The Hoover Dam relies on Lake Mead to produce hydropower, which is able to serve 1.3 million people.
But while Lake Mead has been helped by the winter storms in the last few months slightly since its low point of July 2022, the Bureau of Reclamation anticipates that the water levels will start to decline again come spring.
This is because, despite recent rainfall, the region is still in a severe drought. The dry conditions, paired with the overconsumption of water in the region, mean that the lake will continue to dry up faster than it can replenish itself.
Where Does Lake Mead Water Come From
Lake Mead lies on the Colorado River, between Nevada and Arizona. It also gets its water from three smaller tributaries, the Virgin and Muddy Rivers and the Las Vegas Wash.
The Virgin and Muddy Rivers flow into the Overton Arm. From there and they eventually merge with the rest of the Colorado River. The Las Vegas Wash enters Las Vegas Bay which is at the western edge of Lake Mead from the Boulder Basin.
The Virgin and Muddy Rivers flow into the Overton Arm. From there and they eventually merge with the rest of the Colorado River. The Las Vegas Wash enters Las Vegas Bay which is at the western edge of Lake Mead from the Boulder Basin. The Colorado River itself is fed by snowpack runoff coming from the Rockies.
About 85–90 percent of the Colorado River’s discharge originates in melting snowpack from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and Wyoming.
Where Does Lake Mead Get Its Water From?
Lake Mead is fed by the Colorado River and three smaller tributaries: the Virgin and Muddy Rivers and Las Vegas Wash. Gregg Basin and Temple Basin are fed by the mainstream of the Colorado River, which now enters Lake Mead at the northern end of the Gregg Basin…………………………………….read more
What is the Lake Mead Water Level Today?
Continuing a 22-year downward trend, water levels in Lake Mead stand at their lowest since April 1937, the water level at Lake Mead in Nevada, USA, was 1052.78 feet above sea level and 30.47% feet below Full Pool as of its last reading on 05/22/2023,………………………………………………read more
News of More Drought Won’t Help Lake Meade Water Levels
Lake Meade is the Water Reservoir formed by the Hoover Dam it has sunk to all-new low levels in the past 20 years. The lowest levels are seen since the 1930s. The Southwestern United States has been under a 21-year drought creating massive problems in this huge Reservoir that feeds California, Nevada, and Arizona filling almost 95% from the year 2ooo to only 35% today. Mead Lake is the largest water reservoir in the country.
It is not just Lake Mead that needs attention from policymakers. Lake Powell, another Colorado River reservoir formed by the Glen Canyon Dam between Utah and Arizona, is also drying up due to the drought. Lake Powell is a companion to Lake Mead, another Colorado River reservoir. Powell is also drying up
These decreases in water levels at Lake Mead cause Drought, water shortages for consumption, agriculture, and energy shortages that the Hoover Dam site provides. These shortages have been created by drought and human consumption in the arid regions of the Southwest US. Basically, there is more water going out of Lake Mead than there is going in.
What really worries the people that operate and depend on this water system is the fact of warmer temperatures add more of a factor to drought and the usage of this huge reservoir. Which evaporates more water creating more demand for the crippling system. Lake Mead loses roughly 800,000 acre-feet of water annually through evaporation.
The Colorado River as a whole provides water to over 40 million people living in the basin states. The Colorado River and its entire basin are made up of all of Arizona, parts of California, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and Wyoming, and 2 Mexican states Baja California and Sonora although the final two states contribute little runoff to the river.
By watching the lowering levels at Lake Mead people can actually see the effect that drought conditions and rising temperatures are taking on the Southwest region of the United States. Unfortunately, predictions of ongoing drought won’t help the water levels of Lake Meade in the ongoing future.
Does Las Vegas get all of its water from Lake Mead?
Las Vegas receives 90% of its water supply from the Colorado River via Lake Mead. The Lake Mead Reservoir (the largest reservoir in the United States) was created when the nearby Hoover Dam was built. The remaining 10% of Las Vegas’s water supply comes from natural aquifers located deep underground.……………………………………..read more
JimGalloway Author/Editor
References:
Newsweek-Lake Mead Where Does it Get Its Water
MyWaterEarth&Sky-Lake Mead Water Level Today
