lake mead drying up?
Reports are cropping up everywhere about the severity of ever-dipping water levels in Lake Mead, America’s largest reservoir. As GOOD magazine reports, water levels in the lake have dropped a staggering 100 feet, from 96 percent capacity to 43—the lowest since 1965.
With seven states in the Southwest relying on the lake for water supplies and energy to power their homes, millions of people stand to be directly affected by this crisis.
California is one of the states with a claim to Lake Mead’s water. As one of the country’s largest grower of fruits, vegetables, and nuts, output could be drastically impacted by falling water levels.
It’s a simple equation: We withdraw more water than we deposit. Unlike your bank account, there’s no overdraft coverage—nearly 30 million people would lose their water supply should Lake Mead dry.
Scripps researcher Tim Barnett strongly believes the seven core states need to renegotiate their withdraws—which were agreed upon when water was at an all-time high.
We wholeheartedly agree that withdraws should be renegotiated, but worry about drastically dwindling water levels during a process undoubtedly filled with bureaucracy and political appeals. We, like GOOD, believe in changing the ways Americans live. We can have golf courses in Las Vegas and lush lawns in Palm Springs, or we can have energy for our homes. We can expend 2.4 trillion gallons of water dyeing fabric, and even more growing cotton, or we can have drinking water.
