5th Set of Human Remains Found as Water Levels in Lake Mead Continues to Drop

The fifth set of human remains was discovered in Lake Mead due to historically low water levels. The reservoir's beach region has located yet another set of skeleton remains, adding to the growing list of ghastly finds made due to the Colorado River and lake's deteriorating drought.

(Photo : Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Grim Finding

Officials from the National Park Service (NPS) said that yet another set of human remains was discovered at Lake Mead National Recreational Area on the Colorado River on Monday as water levels dropped to record low levels. This most recent find is the sixth of its kind this year.

The NPS announced in a news statement on Tuesday that bone remains were reported to rangers at approximately 8 o'clock. on Monday close to the Swim Beach region of the lake, which is situated between Nevada and Arizona.

Since then, park rangers have established a cordon around the area with assistance from the dive team of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. It is planned to recover the remaining remains.

To ascertain the reason and manner of death, the Clark County Medical Examiner was also notified, and an investigation is now in progress. No more information was available when the NPS released its statement on Tuesday.

Also Read: Experts Raise Alarm as Lake Mead Water Level Drops to Near 'Dead Pool' Status

One After Another

The first set of bones, which were thought to belong to a 1980s homicide victim, was reportedly found in a barrel on May 1. At the time, Homicide Lt. Ray Spencer of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police indicated a "good likelihood" that if the water levels kept dropping, more bodies would be found in Lake Mead.

A second corpse was found a few days later by two paddle boarders. Then, in the same location as the most recent find, the third set of human remains was discovered in late July, followed by the fourth set in early August. And more than just human remains have been found on the lake's shore. Several sunken vessels, including one from World War II, as well as rubbish and strollers for babies, have also been found.

Officials are concerned that if Lake Mead continues to dry up, there may not be enough water in the reservoir to support the hydroelectric power generation at the Hoover Dam on the Nevada-Arizona border. Lake Mead is the nation's biggest man-made reservoir at the Hoover Dam.

Federal authorities said on Tuesday that Arizona, Nevada, and four other states would have their water rights from the Colorado River, which has also plunged to record levels, reduced during the Southwest's driest two decades in more than a thousand years. According to American officials, the action was taken to safeguard the river's long-term viability.

(Photo : Getty Images)

Future of Lake Mead

Since 1983, when the Colorado River overwhelmed the dam's spillways, the volume of water in the enormous reservoir has decreased by more than 170 feet (52 meters). The Colorado River Basin has been plagued by excessive extraction, intense heat, and diminished snowpack, and Lake Mead is currently only around 27% full, some 40 years after it was first created.

The Colorado River has been experiencing drought for two decades, and authorities predict that Lake Mead's water levels will continue to drop, leading to additional discoveries.