LAKE MEAD – Swaths of mineral-stained white rock, more than 100 feet tall, mark Lake Mead’s basin, punctuating decades of drought in the Southwest.
He and his wife, Cheri, stood on the shore of Lake Mead, which they have been visiting for seven years.
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, responsible for divvying up Lake Mead’s water and electric power, in August reported a 57 percent chance that Lake Mead’s water levels would be so dismal in 2020 that Arizona and Nevada would face cutoffs.
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If Lake Mead’s water level falls below 1,050 feet, Arizona would lose an additional 80,000 acre-feet of water, according to the Bureau of Reclamation.
Conserving, collaborating, banking Conservation programs continue to be a point in the state’s favor.
California, the most populous state in the country, has some disadvantages compared to Arizona when it comes to storing water, Porter said.
“So they have a need for it that is more immediate.” Arizona has not needed its entire allocation of water from Lake Mead, Porter said, so CAP and the Arizona Water Banking Authority have used the excess to recharge aquifers.
Beaches, boat ramps updated as Mead drops The recreational opportunities brought on by drought at Lake Mead National Recreation Area also come at a cost – $2 million in investments to adjust to every 10-foot drop in the water level.
The Bureau of Reclamation predicts they are likely to stay above water, at least for the next few years, so there’s time enough to enjoy drought’s upside.