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Lake Mead is shrinking -- and with it Las Vegas' water supply

sawyerloggingon

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There has been a 14 year drought in this part of the US and if it goes on much longer Las Vegas will be a ghost town. If you own real estate there you should get while the gettin is good. Vegas may be the next Salton Sea resort area.


LAKE MEAD, Nev.
- When you head out on Nevada's Lake Mead, the first thing you notice is a white line. That's where the water used to be.
What did this look like a decade ago?
"This was all underwater," said Pat Mulroy, the general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority. "I mean boats were everywhere. There was a whole marina here."
Mulroy said that the drought began 14 years ago. Satellite photos show the Colorado River, which feeds Lake Mead, is drying up -- so the lake is rapidly shrinking. Islands are growing, and boats are floating far from where they once were.



Lake Mead is shrinking -- and with it Las Vegas' water supply - CBS News
 
First thing the desert SW needs to do is stop exporting it's water to other states. Second thing to remember is it is a very arid climate and not well suited to be inhabited like it is a lush oasis in the desert. Third a prolonged drought might indicate climate change... :roll:

Fourth, Lost Wages isn't the only place suffering from extended drought. Texoma is the area on both sides of the Red River separating Texas from Oklahoma. We have had record heat and prolonged drought to the point businesses don't want to relocate- even with the lower taxes and eager to work population. Local chambers and Quasi government committees who's sole job is to attract new business are getting no takers.

Wichita Falls Texas is trying to figure out what a stage 5 drought policy should be- mostly because stage 5 was, until now, unthinkable. Reservoirs are so low that local hotels and restaurants don't serve glasses of water because it is often off tasting and off color.

So this is a region wide drought, not just a playground in the desert's problem. Folks might be getting out while the gettin is good across the entire SW.
 
First thing the desert SW needs to do is stop exporting it's water to other states. Second thing to remember is it is a very arid climate and not well suited to be inhabited like it is a lush oasis in the desert. Third a prolonged drought might indicate climate change... :roll:

Fourth, Lost Wages isn't the only place suffering from extended drought. Texoma is the area on both sides of the Red River separating Texas from Oklahoma. We have had record heat and prolonged drought to the point businesses don't want to relocate- even with the lower taxes and eager to work population. Local chambers and Quasi government committees who's sole job is to attract new business are getting no takers.

Wichita Falls Texas is trying to figure out what a stage 5 drought policy should be- mostly because stage 5 was, until now, unthinkable. Reservoirs are so low that local hotels and restaurants don't serve glasses of water because it is often off tasting and off color.

So this is a region wide drought, not just a playground in the desert's problem. Folks might be getting out while the gettin is good across the entire SW.

I agree that putting this size of a city in the middle of a desert is a fools folly. On the climate thing though the leading theory of why the Anasazi culture ceased to exist was because of a 100 year drought in this same general area. That was just a bit before the internal combustion motor was built. The whole south west including Calif which is in drought conditions has been drying up for a very long time and if you take a look at all the dry lakes in this part of the US that becomes quite obvious.

"Mojave was a much cooler and less arid environment. Portions of what are now vast expanses of desert, were likely shorelines of lakes, streams and marshes, and plentiful vegetation and animal life.

As the climate became hotter and drier, the lakes dried up, the streams receded, and left behind isolated ground water fed springs that contain species found no where else in the world, or "endemic" species. "

Mojave Desert
 
Lake Mead has been shrinking for some time now. No one seems to be concerned.
California is headed for what could possibly be the worst drought in the history of the state. One recent storm has brought about some hope, but we'll need several more in order to keep producing the nations' fruits, wines, and nuts.
While unusually cold and stormy weather in the East is making headlines, unusually warm and dry weather prevails in the west, and could be a worse disaster in the long run.
 
My prediction? I think we're on the verge of a major uptick in desalination investment generally, with big surge (the new San Diego plant will be online soon) probably coming to California over the next decade. Match that with encouraging developments in desalination efficiency, reduction in energy waste, and the application of new cutting edge materials (the most commonly cited one being graphene) and I think you have a good recipe for how developed countries will successfully tackle their water shortages.
 
Why do I have the suspicion that Las Vegas, LA and the others in So Cal will find their water and our food prices will soar so that Hollywood and Beverly Hills can water it's lawns while casinos still out on shows with fountains and pools?
 
Lake Mead has been shrinking for some time now. No one seems to be concerned.
California is headed for what could possibly be the worst drought in the history of the state. One recent storm has brought about some hope, but we'll need several more in order to keep producing the nations' fruits, wines, and nuts.
While unusually cold and stormy weather in the East is making headlines, unusually warm and dry weather prevails in the west, and could be a worse disaster in the long run.

There does seem to be a head in the sand attitude in Calif about the water situation. I heard of a development their in the San Jose area with multi million dollar homes who had a community well that went dry so they are trucking in water. Million dollar homes without water has an irony to it that can't help but make me laugh a bit. When the price of food sky rockets because of the drought though I may not laugh so hard. We better make our garden a little bigger this year.
 
My prediction? I think we're on the verge of a major uptick in desalination investment generally, with big surge (the new San Diego plant will be online soon) probably coming to California over the next decade. Match that with encouraging developments in desalination efficiency, reduction in energy waste, and the application of new cutting edge materials (the most commonly cited one being graphene) and I think you have a good recipe for how developed countries will successfully tackle their water shortages.

Good idea. Get water for Calif and lower the "rising sea level" caused by AGW.:lol:
 
Why do I have the suspicion that Las Vegas, LA and the others in So Cal will find their water and our food prices will soar so that Hollywood and Beverly Hills can water it's lawns while casinos still out on shows with fountains and pools?


Yeah, screw those red neck Republican farmers.
:lol:
 
There has been a 14 year drought in this part of the US and if it goes on much longer Las Vegas will be a ghost town. If you own real estate there you should get while the gettin is good. Vegas may be the next Salton Sea resort area.


LAKE MEAD, Nev.
- When you head out on Nevada's Lake Mead, the first thing you notice is a white line. That's where the water used to be.
What did this look like a decade ago?
"This was all underwater," said Pat Mulroy, the general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority. "I mean boats were everywhere. There was a whole marina here."
Mulroy said that the drought began 14 years ago. Satellite photos show the Colorado River, which feeds Lake Mead, is drying up -- so the lake is rapidly shrinking. Islands are growing, and boats are floating far from where they once were.



Lake Mead is shrinking -- and with it Las Vegas' water supply - CBS News

It would be a ghost city worth seeing.
 
It would be a ghost city worth seeing.

I would love to see Las Vegas as a ghost town. It's already a wasteland in many ways. It might even be the source for the next zombie apocolypse.
 
Good idea. Get water for Calif and lower the "rising sea level" caused by AGW.:lol:

LOL. I love this. Knowing Yankee ingenuity and resourcefulness, as well as brilliant minds elsewhere, you can bet massive desalination projects are on the drawing board and somebody will figure out how to do it.

But the number one scare tactic utilized by the AGW religionists is that the ice caps will melt and inundate the coastal cities. That has been their number one selling point to keep the religion alive. So if we solve that by learning how to desalinate ocean water on a massive scale for commercial use and to refill the lakes and reservoirs, it is inevitable that we could lower the water level in the ocean a bit. Most especially if the technology is provided to desertified areas everywhere so that they will be able to bloom.

You can bet the religionists would then be wringing their hands that lowering ocean levels is a major disaster that we need much more government control and mega billions of dollars of research to study.
 
There has been a 14 year drought in this part of the US and if it goes on much longer Las Vegas will be a ghost town. If you own real estate there you should get while the gettin is good. Vegas may be the next Salton Sea resort area.


LAKE MEAD, Nev.
- When you head out on Nevada's Lake Mead, the first thing you notice is a white line. That's where the water used to be.
What did this look like a decade ago?
"This was all underwater," said Pat Mulroy, the general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority. "I mean boats were everywhere. There was a whole marina here."
Mulroy said that the drought began 14 years ago. Satellite photos show the Colorado River, which feeds Lake Mead, is drying up -- so the lake is rapidly shrinking. Islands are growing, and boats are floating far from where they once were.



Lake Mead is shrinking -- and with it Las Vegas' water supply - CBS News

Fast forward to 1:32
 
It might even be the source for the next zombie apocolypse.

Maybe, I have seen several zombie-like creatures wandering around downtown Vegas.
Actually, I'm not too worried about the zombies.
As long as they're the traditional lurching around types a la "Walking Dead" or "Night of the Living Dead".
Those guys are easy enough to dodge and outrun.
But if the zombies are like those fast, relentless ones in "World War Z".....big problems.
Maybe I should stay in Reno.
 
First thing the desert SW needs to do is stop exporting it's water to other states. Second thing to remember is it is a very arid climate and not well suited to be inhabited like it is a lush oasis in the desert. Third a prolonged drought might indicate climate change... :roll:

Fourth, Lost Wages isn't the only place suffering from extended drought. Texoma is the area on both sides of the Red River separating Texas from Oklahoma. We have had record heat and prolonged drought to the point businesses don't want to relocate- even with the lower taxes and eager to work population. Local chambers and Quasi government committees who's sole job is to attract new business are getting no takers.

Wichita Falls Texas is trying to figure out what a stage 5 drought policy should be- mostly because stage 5 was, until now, unthinkable. Reservoirs are so low that local hotels and restaurants don't serve glasses of water because it is often off tasting and off color.

So this is a region wide drought, not just a playground in the desert's problem. Folks might be getting out while the gettin is good across the entire SW.

There's a drought...in the desert? Go figure. I believe it has more to do with population growth than anything else.
 
I would love to see Las Vegas as a ghost town. It's already a wasteland in many ways. It might even be the source for the next zombie apocolypse.

It would scream for a movie to be made.
 
There's a drought...in the desert? Go figure. I believe it has more to do with population growth than anything else.

No it is a drought. Our area was recently classified as not just severe drought or extreme drought but exceptional drought, i.e. there is no drought in our recorded history that is as bad as this drought has been. As somebody previously posted, it was almost certainly just such a drought that drove the Anasazi from their ancient cultural homes. And if it is another 100-year drought, we really will have to figure out how to deal with that. I trust human ingenuity to be up to the task though.
 
No it is a drought. Our area was recently classified as not just severe drought or extreme drought but exceptional drought, i.e. there is no drought in our recorded history that is as bad as this drought has been. As somebody previously posted, it was almost certainly just such a drought that drove the Anasazi from their ancient cultural homes. And if it is another 100-year drought, we really will have to figure out how to deal with that. I trust human ingenuity to be up to the task though.

Deal with it, by either moving to where there's water, or figure out how to get water to your hood.
 
Deal with it, by either moving to where there's water, or figure out how to get water to your hood.

I rather thought my post indicated that I was dealing with it. Whatever did I say to suggest to you that I wasn't?
 
Next season's LV and California hot fashion wear:

tumblr_m3eygwxjYq1r69x6go1_400.jpg
 
No it is a drought. Our area was recently classified as not just severe drought or extreme drought but exceptional drought, i.e. there is no drought in our recorded history that is as bad as this drought has been. As somebody previously posted, it was almost certainly just such a drought that drove the Anasazi from their ancient cultural homes. And if it is another 100-year drought, we really will have to figure out how to deal with that. I trust human ingenuity to be up to the task though.

PM sent to you...
 
De-salinization plants are in our immediate future.

Unfortunately that's just more borrowing from Peter to pay Paul. You know, if everyone in California used these:

incolet.jpg


there would be no water shortages.
 
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