The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has been monitoring and closely controlling the water levels in the lake, and it says the drop in the water level is expected to continue as the western drought continues.
What’s interesting about this historic drop in the water level in the huge reservoir is that this is all part of the plan, say the federal water managers. They intend to let the level drop a few more feet by the end of next month. Then they plan to refill the near-empty lake enough by the end of the year to pass a critical water level mark so as to avoid cuts in water delivery downstream.
“We have passed the historic low of June 25, 2015,” said Rose Davis, a spokeswoman for the reclamation bureau, “and we expect the lake to continue to drop to levels near 1,070 feet by the end of June. However, they are expected to be back by Dec. 31 above the levels that would trigger a shortage declaration in 2017.”
Lake Mead is at 37 percent full, Davis said. The “bathtub” ring of white mineral around the lake clearly shows the 130-foot drop in surface water the lake has lost since 2000. The last time the lake was at full capacity was in 1983. The two million residents of Las Vegas and an additional 40 million tourists every year get almost all their drinking water from the lake.
Rules governing water level
As of Thursday afternoon, the lake’s water level stood at an elevation above sea level of about 1,074.6. By the end of June, the level should have dropped to 1,071 feet. The level will then be brought up by the release of water from Lake Powell. According to the rules governing reservoir operations, the U.S. Department of the Interior can declare a shortage if the water level in Lake Mead is projected to be below 1,075 feet at the start of 2017 reports The Desert Sun.
Should Lake Mead ever reach 900 feet above sea level, it would then be declared a “dead pool.” This means nothing would flow downstream from the Hoover Dam, reports Fox News.
Water and the ongoing drought
When the Reclamation Bureau releases its study in August this year, it will then be decided whether or not to declare a shortage, based on if the water level is back up to 1,075 feet. This means it will be greatly dependent on how the summer goes and how much worse the drought may affect water levels.
If a shortage is declared for 2017, then the states of Arizona and Nevada, as well as California, (which has the most privileged water rights to the Colorado River), would see substantial water cutbacks. California, with its privileged status, would not be affected by the 1,075 feet cutback. They have a special “trigger point” that has to be reached before they are impacted by the cutbacks.
Keep in mind that California, despite 70 percent of the state being in severe to extreme drought conditions, reversed its mandatory water restrictions. This was done with the knowledge that they were in meetings with representatives from Arizona and Nevada to work out a deal by the end of the year that would set the cutbacks up earlier to avoid a more serious crisis.
There is a crisis, and most people are unaware of how very serious it really is. In 1922, a water from the Colorado River Compact was set up that allocated water usage during wetter times. This has resulted in flagrant abuse of water rights, ending up with subsequent agreements handing out more water than what flows in the river in any given year.
