Let us know via science@newsweek.com. Patti Aaron, a spokesperson for the Bureau of Reclamation, told CNN that this is because of several factors and last winters pitiful precipitation played a large role. The lake also covered archaeological digs, said Green, who teaches about the history of Nevada and Las Vegas, meaning there could be historical items in the water. The lake is currently at 1,042 feet, but forecasts show it dropping to 1,016 at the end of. Launch ramp access on Lake Mohave will remain stable. All rights reserved. The May forecast also includes about half of the water needed to carry out the 500-plus plan, which was supposed to keep Lake Mead just above its last major defense point of 1,020 feet if we voluntarily saved 500,000 acre-feet of water, over and above whatever mandatory cuts we must make based on the level of shortage the lake has reached, each year for five years. Hemenway Harbor will operate on one lane of concrete; pipe mat extension will be installed at 1,064 feet elevation. Rain in the region has lifted its water levels recently. Virginia: Financial statements are available from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, 102 Governor Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219. Its been sad to watch the lake drop, the islands appear, the bathtub ring, the marina being moved out further and further.. The lake is now at 28 percent its usual capacity, while during the summer it was only at 27 percent. Water levels in Lake Mead reached the lowest they have ever been last July, at 1,040.8 feet. Whatever buffer we may have had (or thought we had) at Lake Mead, it is quickly disappearing. Lake levels are expressed as altitudes the number of feet the lake's surface is above sea level not as depths. Water levels in Lake Mead reached the lowest they have ever been last July, at 1,040.8 feet. Pennsylvania: The official registration and financial information of National Parks Traveler may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling 800-732-0999. Maryland: Documents and information submitted under the Maryland Solicitations Act are also available, for the cost of postage and copies, from the Secretary of State, State House, Annapolis, MD 21401 (410-974-5534). But she also pointed more generally to the Southwests worsening drought, which has increased the amount of water agriculture is pulling from the Colorado River. Registration does not imply endorsement. The Lake hadn't reached such a low level since it was constructed in the 1930s. Previous tables (starting in January 2012) are also available. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much Because once the lakes hit these dangerously low levels, its unlikely that they will ever recover. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form. By January 18, Lake Mead's water levels have risen to 1,045.76 feet. For Lake Mead, this level is 895 feet. But there arent just bodies in the water that comes in from the Colorado River, and experts say as the bathtub ring around the lake grows, more discoveries are waiting. The current water elevation for end of March is 1,063.11 feet. "We also have two important decisions coming up. That means less water is now flowing downstream into Lake Mead. Thats 18 feet past the deepest level of shortage for which weve plannedand 13 feet below its last major defense point before the lake completely tanks. It has also lead to the discovery of many things, including a decades-old gunshot victim in a barrel, sunken boats and more recently, a World War II-era vessel. Officials are focused on the wrong problem, advocates say. appreciated. More extreme water cuts are all but certain in the Southwest starting next year including new water cuts for California according to the latest government forecast for the Colorado River and Lake Mead, the countrys largest reservoir. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE. Lake Mead's water levels are rapidly declining due to the drought. That . Receding waters can highlight the precarity of the crucial systems that keep societies functioning and expose hidden ancient cities. Since the beginning of December, the reservoir's water levels have steadily increased. Highest congestion at launch ramps typically occurs on weekends, so weekday visits are encouraged when possible to enjoy the lake with fewer crowds. I would say there is a very good chance as the water level drops that we are going to find additional human remains, Ray Spencer, a lieutenant with the Las Vegas police, said in May. As the drought has deepened, Lake Meads water level dropped below 1,050 feet elevation for the first time last week a sign more stringent water cuts are coming for the Southwest. The lake is predicted to reach an even lower level in the coming months: projections from the Bureau of Reclamation show that Lake Mead could drop as low as 1,024.47 feet by November 2023. "The water-supply forecasts look to be above average," Haley Paul, Arizona policy director for the National Audubon Society, previously told Newsweek. Falling lake levels could make it tricky to launch your boat at Lake Mead this summer/NPS file. Inside were the remains of a man who officials say was shot between the mid-1970s and the early 1980s. There tends to be plenty of stuff that goes to the bottom and you just wait around, Green said. Water level status projections from the BOR's March 2022 Most Probable Inflow 24-Month Study: The current water elevation for end of March is 1,063.11 feet. A grueling drought in the American west has depleted the lake, a crucial water source for 25 million people, drying out tributaries, threatening hydropower production and closing boat ramps at the popular recreation site. Archaeologists were working there until the lake was rising around them.. Boaters are being advised to check the status of their preferred launch destination(s) on theparks websiteand consider planning their trips to avoid high-traffic times. At the beginning of 2022, the lake's water levels were at 1,066 feet. Lake Mead is a not natural body of water, Green points out. Beached boats and sinking shorelines:. It was formed with the creation of the Hoover Dam, which submerged St Thomas, a Mormon settlement founded in 1865. Even a few really wet years probably wouldn't refill the reservoirs, given how low they are and how temperatures continue to rise (causing more evapotranspiration)," Koebele said. People look out at Lake Mead from the Overlook at Hoover Dam Lodge in Boulder City, Nevada, on June 30. A copy of National Parks Traveler's financial statements may be obtained by sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope to: National Parks Traveler, P.O. Toggle submenu for First Annual Threatened And Endangered Parks, According to BORs March 2022 24-month forecast, water levels at Lake Mead will drop earlier-than-expected. Firefighters put out hot spots from the Washburn Fire in Yosemite National Park, California, July 11, 2022. Because the lake is V-shaped, and were getting into the lower part of the V, it takes less water to make more of an elevation change. The reservoir relies on rainfall and winter snowpack to replenish its water levels. On Twitter: @joannaallhands. Jennifer Pitt, the Colorado River program director with the National Audubon Society, an environmental organization, previously told Newsweek: "To refill the Colorado River reservoirs, you would need three average years of snowfall without any water use. National Parks Traveler is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit media organization. Hot records are outpacing cool by more than 10-to-1 this year as Europe, US brace for dangerous heat. Lake Mead's water levels . Information from NOAA-GLERL. The new. And Lake Mead today, Jan. 31 2023. Projection for end of April 2022 is 1,057.14 feet. Specifically, Reclamation modeled operations as follows: The Glen Canyon Dam annual release is initially set to 7.00 maf, and in April of the given year Reclamation will evaluate hydrologic conditions to determine if balancing releases may be appropriate under the conditions established in the 2007 Interim Guidelines; Balancing releases will be limited (with a minimum of 7.00 maf) to protect Lake Powell from declining below elevation 3,525 feet at the end of December; and, Balancing releases will take into account operational neutrality of the 0.480 maf that was retained in Lake Powell under the. Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. Do you have a question about Lake Mead? On December 1, 2022, the lake's water levels were 1,042.97 feet above sea level, while as of February 1, 2023, they measured 1,046.99 feet. Launch ramp access this summer, according to Lake Mead . The latter will be used to determine which level of shortage were in. Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? The forecast is grim the Colorado River has endured a drought for two decades and officials project Lake Meads water levels will continue to fall, meaning that more discoveries will be unearthed. Although Lake Mead's water levels reached an all time low in 2022, it was also the year that saw the water levels rise slightly for the first time in three years. The bureaus next consequential report comes in August, at which point it will determine whether more cuts are needed. Lake Meads plummeting water level has become more apparent over the past year. This means that the most probable 24-month study should be considered to have a wet or optimistic bias, Kuhn told CNN, which suggests that its likely the actual levels will run a bit below what the bureau is predicting. And what happens upstream is of critical importance to Lake Mead. More critically, the bureau predicts the reservoir will be at nearly the same level, around 1,041 feet, come January. ", (Top) Lake Mead behind Hoover Dam in 1983 when there was so much water, it spilled. The U.S. Drought Monitor shows that between October last year and January 24, 2023, the percentage of Nevada suffering from Extreme Drought decreased from 44.61 to 18.53, with the rest of the state experiencing Moderate Drought and Severe Drought. At the beginning of 2022, the lake's water levels were at 1,066 feet. Importantly, the Bureau of Reclamations studies are based on historical data from the 1990s a much wetter period in the West, said Eric Kuhn, a retired former manager of the Colorado River Water Conservation District. Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. But it's a sign of a much bigger problem. The lake has a surface area of 247.1 square miles and spans the Nevada-Arizona border, providing 25 million people across Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah with water. For additional information or questions, please contact us via email at: ColoradoRiverModeling@usbr.gov. The Lake hadn't reached such a low level since it was constructed in the 1930s. Projection for end of October 2022 is 1,047.47 feet. This could be down to some incredibly heavy rainfall sweeping the region, which may help offset the effects of the drought. Water levels at Lake Mead are projected to drop earlier than expected this summer, based on forecasting from the Bureau of Reclamation. It stands today at its lowest level since Franklin Delano Roosevelt was president. Additionally, if too much rain comes at once, or too much snowpack melts at once due to higher temperatures, it risks running off into the ocean rather than refilling aquifers where we need it. People shield their heads from the sun on Monday after a scaled down version of the Changing of the Guard ceremony took place outside Buckingham Palace in London during an extreme heat wave. A crashed B-29 plane has been in the water since 1948. News Release Date: September 24, 2021 BOULDER CITY, Nev.. - Lake Mead National Recreation Area (NRA) is reminding boaters to be aware of expected changes to water access points and boat launch areas in 2022 due to historically low water levels.Three launch ramps and three marinas remain open in the park; however, some launch sites will be impacted next spring and summer by continuing . Dashed and dot dashed lines represent the 10th and 90th percentiles, respectively. "[Additionally,] many of the current policies that govern Colorado River allocations, including the DCP [drought contingency plan] and other shortage-sharing guidelines, expire in 2026, so the states and federal government are simultaneously beginning a process to develop rules for the next 20 years of Colorado River management that can help mitigate some of these issues. The Washburn fire, in the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias, was first reported on July 7 and doubled in size over the weekend to 2,340 acres (946 hectares), according to a park report. A sunken second world war-era Higgins landing craft that used to be nearly 200ft underwater rests on its side near the Lake Mead Marina on Thursday. The current water elevation forecast for the end of March is 1,063 feet. Federal officials make those determinations on a year-by-year basis in August. Despite the lackluster outlook for Lake Mead's water levels, the drought status of California, Nevada and Arizona has been alleviated significantly by the recent rainfall. By January 18, Lake Mead's water levels have risen to 1,045.76 feet. The reduction of releases from Lake Powell from 7.48 maf to 7.00 maf in water year 2022 will result in a reduced release volume of 0.480 maf that normally would have been released from Glen Canyon Dam to Lake Mead as part of the 7.48 maf annual release volume, consistent with routine operations under the 2007 Interim Guidelines. Data from current condition sites are relayed to the Nevada Water . This means less water will be portioned out to some states in the 2022 water year. You will find things in the lake. If that forecast holds in next months report, which is what federal officials will use to determine cuts for 2023, the Southwest will be subject to a Tier 2 water shortage and the fresh cuts that come with it starting in January. While in October, 0 percent of Arizona was considered free of any drought category, as of January 24, 42.37 percent of the state is drought-free. Good question. If the forecast indicates Lake Mead's water level will be below 1,050 feet come January 1, the Southwest will move into the second tier of unprecedented water cuts that will deepen the. Experts predict that in a few years, the lake's water levels could be as low as 895 feet, which would be too low to flow past the dam. The agricultural demands downstream have actually been higher this year because it was a warmer and drier spring than normal, Aaron said. NOAA water level observations are available at specific locations, as described on the Monitoring Network page or as a lake-wide average. Lake Mead's water levels have risen slightly from 1,042.97 feet at the beginning of December, to 1,045.80 feet as of January 19. 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