The drop in the water level in the lake revealed for the first time one of the original water intake valves of the reservoir, officials say.
The valve has been in operation since 1971, but can no longer draw water, according to the Southern Nevada Water Authority, which is responsible for managing the water resources of 2.2 million people in southern Nevada, including Las Vegas.
All over the West, extreme drought is already affecting this year, and the summer heat has not even arrived yet.
“This is a crisis. This is unprecedented,” said Adele Hagehalil, general manager of the Southern California Water District. “We have never done anything like this before and because we have not seen this situation happen this way before. We do not have enough water to meet the normal needs of the six million people living in areas dependent on the state water project. “
On Lake Mead, photos taken Monday show the agency’s oldest of the agency’s three intake valves high and dry above the waterline.
“When the lake reaches 1,060 feet (above sea level), then you can start seeing the top of the number one watershed,” said Bronson Mack, a public information officer for the Southern Nevada Water Authority.
Lake Mead reached 1,060 feet above sea level on April 4 and is 1,055 feet as of Wednesday, he said.
As a result, the water body began operating a new low-lake pumping station for the first time, a valve located deeper at the bottom of Lake Mead. The plant, which began construction in 2015 and was completed in 2020, is able to supply water to the lake at a much lower level and was built to protect the region’s water resources in light of the deteriorating drought.
“It had no effect on the operation’s ability to supply water,” Mack said. “Customers didn’t notice anything. It was a smooth transition. “
The water flowing down the Colorado River fills Lake Mead and Lake Powell, another critical reservoir in the West, and the river system supports more than 40 million people living in seven western states and Mexico. Both reservoirs provide drinking water and irrigation to many communities in the region, including rural farms, ranches and local communities.
The federal government announced water shortages in the Colorado River for the first time last summer. The shortage caused a mandatory reduction in water consumption for states in the southwest, which began in January. And in March, Lake Powell fell below the critical threshold that threatens Glen Canyon’s ability to generate energy.
The West has been in its worst drought for centuries, scientists said Monday. A study published in February found that the period from 2000 to 2021 was the driest in the region in 1,200 years.
The man-made climate crisis has made the West’s mega-drought 72 percent worse, the study said.
“We’re kind of in some unexplored territory, socially and economically,” Justin Mankin, an assistant professor of geography at Dartmouth College and co-chair of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Task Force, told CNN in March.
This story has been updated with additional information.
CNN’s Rachel Ramirez contributed to this report.
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