Lake Mead Water Levels Declining Rapidly, Even Seen From Space!

To the point where it can be seen from space, the water levels of Lake Mead are rapidly declining.

Due to worries that it might reach deadpool in a few years, the reservoir, which is defined by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, has attracted national attention over the past year.

The level at which water would stop flowing over the dam, which is below 895 feet, would prevent it from continuing to deliver power to the hundreds of thousands of individuals who depend on it.

The megadrought in Southwest US caused the shrinking water levels in Lake Mead. The United States has not experienced a drought like this one in the past 1,200 years. Scientists attribute it primarily to climate change caused by humans.

Seen From Space!

Because of the dry conditions, seasonal rainfall and snowmelt haven't replenished the lake as rapidly as the water is being consumed.

Satellite photos and images clearly show the effects of the drought. Lake Mead can be seen in images from the NASA Earth Observatory taken on July 6, 2000, and July 4, 2022. The lake looked noticeably smaller on July 4, 2022.

The reservoir experienced particularly dry conditions in July, dropping to its lowest elevation ever at 1,040 feet.

The lake's lowest point was in 2022, but water levels rose for the very first time in three years during that year. This was brought on by an especially rainy monsoon season.

On January 2, the water level in the lake was measured at 1,044.99 feet .

However, the rise in water levels hasn't been sufficient to allay worries, and the reservoir's future still appears bleak.

The water levels at Lake Mead reached their highest point ever in 1983. At that point, the water was so high that it was overflowing.

Hoover Dam

Although the water levels in Lake Mead are at their lowest point ever right now, less than 40 years ago, this same lake was spilling over into the Hoover Dam side spillways.

To prevent excess Lake Mead water from flooding Hoover Dam's top, spillways were built to collect it. The spillways, however, have only ever been filled twice-once in 1941 to test the system and once more in 1983 during a flood, FOX5 reports.

Risking Deadpool

The future of Lake Mead is difficult to foresee. The lake may never reach deadpool, but as the drought persists, it is becoming more likely that it will.

According to a Bureau of Reclamation projection, there is a 47 percent possibility that water levels will fall below 1,020 feet in 2023.

Not only Lake Mead is impacted by the ongoing drought; other bodies of water are as well.

Recently, the Great Salt Lake in Utah experienced its lowest water level on record, measuring 4,188.2 feet. In addition, the Mississippi River has been drying up in some areas due to the dry weather. In Memphis, Tennessee, especially low water levels were noted, Newsweek reports.

In a July 2022 article for 8 News Now, it was stated that Lake Mead was 1,041 feet above sea level. The lake will effectively be at dead pool level if it drops below 895 feet because the Hoover Dam will be unable to produce electricity any longer. This indicates that the reservoir's water levels are too low for the water to flow downstream from Hoover Dam's lowest water outlet.