Is lake Las Vegas drying up?

D.J. Jenner, the owner of Las Vegas Scuba, who has been observing the lake for years, told Impact that the water levels have gone down roughly 40 feet since he started his business. There's still plenty of water out here for people to come out and enjoy the lake, but it is going down pretty quickly, he said.



People Also Ask

Without Lake Mead, Las Vegas would lose access to 90 percent of its water sources. If Lake Mead were to reach dead pool, it would technically still be able to supply drinking water to Las Vegas. But there will not be enough water for agricultural activities.

MORE DETAILS

Key Points. Lake Mead has dropped by 70% due to droughts in the West and it will take many years to refill again, naturally. The reservoir is vitally important to millions of people as a source of water, electricity, and recreation.

MORE DETAILS

Lake Mead's water level continues to fall to historic lows, bringing the reservoir less than 150 feet away from “dead pool” — so low that water cannot flow downstream from the dam. The loss of water entirely from this source would be catastrophic.

MORE DETAILS

Most of our rainwater travels untreated through gutters, storm drains, channels, washes and eventually into the major source of our drinking water - Lake Mead. All storm drains lead to lake mead. Stormwater that falls in the Las Vegas Valley picks up pollutants and travels untreated to Lake Mead.

MORE DETAILS

The Dam Future While the dam is expected to last for centuries, engineers predict the structure could last for more than 10,000 years, surpassing most remnants of human civilization if humans were to disappear from the earth.

MORE DETAILS

Officials have warned that dead pool could be reached by 2025, if the lake continues drying up at the rate it is currently.

MORE DETAILS

That water would likely cover an area of 10 million acres (4 million hectares) 1 foot (30 centimeters) deep. To put that area in perspective, the entire state of New Jersey is 9 million acres (3.6 million hectares). Downriver towns and major cities would see the most damage, in the event of the dam's physical collapse.

MORE DETAILS

After falling to record lows in 2022, Lake Mead has seen its water levels rise 3 feet above projections after a precipitation-heavy winter. But experts warn it's only a temporary reprieve without a comprehensive water management plan.

MORE DETAILS

Investments to enhance system conservation and improved hydrology have led to significant improvements for Lake Mead this year, the federal government announced Tuesday, after the lake hit historic lows last year and the remains of several bodies were found.

MORE DETAILS

As a decades-long drought parches the American West, Lake Mead's water supply has suffered, causing the man made reservoir's shorelines to dramatically recede and reveal some remains that were once submerged.

MORE DETAILS