What's the Latest with Lake Mead?

Can you fill us in on the latest about Lake Mead? How did the water season end? How low is the lake level now? What's projected for next year, if anyone knows so far?

Lake Mead is looking up lately. After nearly reaching "dead-pool" status in 2022, the surface level of the lake is up by 16 feet.

You might recall that the winter of 2022-2023 saw above-average precipitation and snowmelt, which put the lake on a very slow road to rising. That trend continued throughout 2023. From a low of around 1,045 feet, it has risen to around 1,061 feet.

It's true that the lake is higher than it was two years ago, but it's still four feet lower than this time last year and 20 feet lower than this time five years ago in 2019. The last time the lake was full was in 1983; since then, it's down 164 feet, clearly evidenced by the bathtub ring of calcium carbonate that bleaches the rim of the lake white.

As for the outlook, at the annual three-day Colorado River Water Users Association conference in Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago, a gathering of the basin states, Native American tribes, and representatives of northern Mexico, the mood was somewhat pessimistic, both for a consensus on a way forward and the future of the reservoir.

But we've been seeing a lot of attention placed on a report following the conference issued by the Colorado River Board of California, which seems to be claiming that all 16 feet of new water in the lake can be accounted for by the conservation efforts of Golden State farmers. The Board reports that voluntary cuts resulted in the conservation of more than 1.2 million acre-feet of water, putting the state on track to meet its goal of conserving 1.6 million acre-feet by 2026.

"In two years, Californians have plunged our uses to their lowest levels since the 1940s, all while supporting half of the Basin's entire population and a plurality of the Basin's farm production," the release quoted the chairman of the Colorado River California Board.

We don't doubt that conservation efforts in California have helped the lake level, but we're taking the under on whether the entire 16 feet can be attributed to those. Either way, Lake Mead has a long way to go before it's out of the dead-pool woods.

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Comments

David Miller Dec-31-2024

Of Course

 I am not surprised that California is taking credit...

Jetpilotrick Dec-31-2024

Building

If our water seems to be critical, why do they continue to build, invite businesses to come here?  Also, these massive new hotel casinos that are on the books to be built.  It has to take a lot of water for all this.  Something that we seem to be in short supply of.  I don’t think the people who authorize all this really care.

steve crouse Dec-31-2024

Too many

Lake Mead will collapse within the next decade.
You can't invite the world to live in your DESERT paradise without consequences.
I like the idea of constructing the infrastructure to bring the overabundance of water in the Mississippi system but only if growth is severely limited.

stephen rosol Dec-31-2024

stop being nice and cut it off

I am confused, what is the point of an agreement that does not have sustaining the lake as the primary focus?  why not set an annual consumption limit for each discharge path, then when done , turn it off?  I of course know the answer and know it will never happen--- bit the way to control consumption is not to ask, but to actually man the valves and turn them off.

sunny78 Dec-31-2024

fix

1.) Desalination anyone? Many other countries in the ME, Asia, Australia, parts of SoCal, etc do it. Pipeline to Nevada and the southwest states from the west coast.

2.) Even more efficient, implement GWRS process that Orange county and other nations have used for a long time now, a process that keeps recycling waste water into drinkable water, rinse repeat. 

3.) California looses lots of runoff water to the ocean, build more dams.

4.) States like AZ have huge supplies of underground ground water throughout many areas of the state including the low desert regions.

"Problem" solved, many solutions already exist. The silly drama of "we are going to run out of water!" need not exist.

hawks242424 Jan-09-2025

Steve

Keep your hands off the Mississippi river.  There were record lows on the southern part of the river last year.  Get your own house in order first.

Question of the Day - 31 December 2024

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