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Thread: West's Biggest Reservoir Nears Critical Threshold

  1. #1

    West's Biggest Reservoir Nears Critical Threshold

    Lake Mead - the West's largest reservoir - is running dry again and is on track to fall below a critical threshold in 2020, according to a new forecast by the Bureau of Reclamation.

    In 2016, Lake Mead water levels drop to new record lows (since it was filled in the 1930s) leaving Las Vegas facing existential threats unless something is done. Las Vegas and its 2 million residents and 40 million tourists a year get almost all their drinking water from the Lake and at levels below 1075ft, the Interior Department will be forced to declare a "shortage," which will lead to significant cutbacks for Arizona and Nevada.
    And now, two years later, the situation appears to be getting worse as The Wall Street Journal reports, in a prediction released Wednesday, the Bureau of Reclamation, a multistate agency that manages water and power in the West, said there is a 52% probability that water levels will fall below a threshold of 1,075 feet elevation by 2020.

    Source
    “The very big concern is the perception that water supplies are uncertain,” said Todd Reeve, chief executive officer of Business for Water Stewardship, a nonprofit group in Portland, Ore., that works with businesses on water use nationally.
    “So if a water shortage is declared, that would be a huge shot across the bow that, wow, water supplies could be uncertain.”
    The Colorado River, which supplies water to 40 million people from Denver to Los Angeles, has been in long-term decline amid what bureau officials call the driest 19-year period in recorded history.
    Lake Mead, which serves as the biggest reservoir of the river’s water, resumed its decline this year after the region returned to drought conditions. As of Wednesday, it stood at 1,078 feet, about 150 feet below its peak.
    If Lake Mead’s water levels fall below the 1,075 feet threshold, it could trigger the first ever federal shortage declaration on the Colorado River - which experts say could undermine the Southwest’s economy.

    More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-...ical-threshold
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

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  3. #2
    And now, two years later, the situation appears to be getting worse as The Wall Street Journal reports, in a prediction released Wednesday, the Bureau of Reclamation, a multistate agency that manages water and power in the West, said there is a 52% probability that water levels will fall below a threshold of 1,075 feet elevation by 2020.
    “The very big concern is the perception that water supplies are uncertain,” said Todd Reeve, chief executive officer of Business for Water Stewardship, a nonprofit group in Portland, Ore., that works with businesses on water use nationally.
    52% probability is heads or tails.


    “So if a water shortage is declared, that would be a huge shot across the bow that, wow, water supplies could be uncertain.”
    Heads or tails, the experts are uncertain.

    The Colorado River, which supplies water to 40 million people from Denver to Los Angeles, has been in long-term decline amid what bureau officials call the driest 19-year period in recorded history.
    A 19 year metric.

    It is a wonder why other metrics aren't measured in obscure timeframes.
    “The nationalist not only does not disapprove of atrocities committed by his own side, but he has a remarkable capacity for not even hearing about them.” --George Orwell

    Quote Originally Posted by AuH20 View Post
    In terms of a full spectrum candidate, Rand is leaps and bounds above Trump. I'm not disputing that.
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  4. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by kcchiefs6465 View Post
    52% probability is heads or tails.



    Heads or tails, the experts are uncertain.


    A 19 year metric.

    It is a wonder why other metrics aren't measured in obscure timeframes.
    Despite the hype the water levels are very low.
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment

  5. #4
    I have water standing everywhere here .
    Do something Danke

  6. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    Despite the hype the water levels are very low.
    It could become a problem, definitely. I appreciate you posting the article.

    Then again, artificial desert lifestyles probably aren't long term sustainable (when speaking in terms of millenniums).

    And of course you know as well as I that they cry wolf every other year about a new shortage. Be it oil, water, or whatever. And too, NYC is supposed to be underwater by now etc.

    I am starting to feel that if I am overly skeptical and misread an impending disaster that that would still be their shortcoming as they have been consistently wrong for as long as I can remember.
    “The nationalist not only does not disapprove of atrocities committed by his own side, but he has a remarkable capacity for not even hearing about them.” --George Orwell

    Quote Originally Posted by AuH20 View Post
    In terms of a full spectrum candidate, Rand is leaps and bounds above Trump. I'm not disputing that.
    Who else in public life has called for a pre-emptive strike on North Korea?--Donald Trump

  7. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by kcchiefs6465 View Post
    It could become a problem, definitely. I appreciate you posting the article.

    Then again, artificial desert lifestyles probably aren't long term sustainable (when speaking in terms of millenniums).

    And of course you know as well as I that they cry wolf every other year about a new shortage. Be it oil, water, or whatever. And too, NYC is supposed to be underwater by now etc.

    I am starting to feel that if I am overly skeptical and misread an impending disaster that that would still be their shortcoming as they have been consistently wrong for as long as I can remember.
    Good points.
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment

  8. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by oyarde View Post
    I have water standing everywhere here .
    Well, the government says it owns any water that's falls out of the sky......

    Sort of looks like they need to pass some laws to make that water fall where they want it to.

  9. #8
    You know what will solve this? More people. That’s always the answer.
    "Foreign aid is taking money from the poor people of a rich country, and giving it to the rich people of a poor country." - Ron Paul
    "Beware the Military-Industrial-Financial-Pharma-Corporate-Internet-Media-Government Complex." - B4L update of General Dwight D. Eisenhower
    "Debt is the drug, Wall St. Banksters are the dealers, and politicians are the addicts." - B4L
    "Totally free immigration? I've never taken that position. I believe in national sovereignty." - Ron Paul

    Proponent of real science.
    The views and opinions expressed here are solely my own, and do not represent this forum or any other entities or persons.



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  11. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Brian4Liberty View Post
    You know what will solve this? More people. That’s always the answer.
    Excellent idea . More food stamp enrollment and communists always cures water problems .
    Do something Danke

  12. #10
    Drought prone area's are a bad place to reside. Flood prone area's are a bad place to reside. Tornado prone area's are a bad place to reside. Area's prone to wild fire are a bad place to reside. Any area where the likelihood of natural disaster is prevalent is a bad place to reside. If a person chooses to reside in such a place do so at their own risk and expense.

  13. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by kcchiefs6465 View Post
    It could become a problem, definitely. I appreciate you posting the article.

    Then again, artificial desert lifestyles probably aren't long term sustainable (when speaking in terms of millenniums).

    And of course you know as well as I that they cry wolf every other year about a new shortage. Be it oil, water, or whatever. And too, NYC is supposed to be underwater by now etc.

    I am starting to feel that if I am overly skeptical and misread an impending disaster that that would still be their shortcoming as they have been consistently wrong for as long as I can remember.
    Quote Originally Posted by Schifference View Post
    Drought prone area's are a bad place to reside. Flood prone area's are a bad place to reside. Tornado prone area's are a bad place to reside. Area's prone to wild fire are a bad place to reside. Any area where the likelihood of natural disaster is prevalent is a bad place to reside. If a person chooses to reside in such a place do so at their own risk and expense.
    I was coming in to post, pretty much this.

    I had a home right on the water, got flooded in storms a couple of times. Took it as a matter of fact...build right on the seaside, expect water in your house from time to time.

    Not a good idea to build a sprawling metroplex of millions of people in the middle of a desert.

    Even the ancients, many centuries ago, figured out not to do that, unless there was a river or oasis handy.

  14. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Schifference View Post
    Drought prone area's are a bad place to reside. Flood prone area's are a bad place to reside. Tornado prone area's are a bad place to reside. Area's prone to wild fire are a bad place to reside. Any area where the likelihood of natural disaster is prevalent is a bad place to reside. If a person chooses to reside in such a place do so at their own risk and expense.

    Gulag Chief:
    "Article 58-1a, twenty five years... What did you get it for?"
    Gulag Prisoner: "For nothing at all."
    Gulag Chief: "You're lying... The sentence for nothing at all is 10 years"



  15. #13

    Question

    According to the source the levels in 2016 and 2015 were even lower so it seems the levels are increasing.


  16. #14

    Dream Student gold

    Quote Originally Posted by Brian4Liberty View Post
    You know what will solve this? More people. That’s always the answer.
    More illegal alien Dream Students, means higher urine output to raise the water table?
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    You only show up to attack Trump when he is wrong
    Make America the Land of the Free & the Home of the Brave again

  17. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by Brian4Liberty View Post
    You know what will solve this? More people. That’s always the answer.
    Our phony economy will not work on its own.

  18. #16
    The worst drought in years in the western half of the United States has sparked hundreds of wildfires, has crippled thousands of farms, and has produced what could ultimately be the worst water crisis in modern American history.

    As you will see below, Lake Powell and Lake Mead have both dropped to dangerously low levels, and officials are warning that we may soon be looking at a substantial shortfall which would require rationing. Unfortunately, many in the eastern half of the country don’t even realize that this is happening. The mighty Colorado River once seemed to be virtually invulnerable, but now it doesn’t even run all the way to the ocean any longer. Demand for water is continually increasing as major cities in the Southwest continue to grow, and this is happening at a time when that entire region just keeps getting drier and drier. To say that we are facing a “water crisis” would be a major understatement.
    I have written quite a bit about the drought in the Southwest in recent months, and it just keeps getting worse. According to Forbes, more than half the nation is now experiencing some level of drought…
    Drought conditions across the United States have worsened throughout the summer, culminating in more than half the country experiencing abnormally dry or drought conditions by the end of August.
    The latest update of the United States Drought Monitor shows that more than half of the country—nearly 56 percent—is abnormally dry or mired in a full-on drought. More than a third of the country is experiencing drought conditions, and almost eight percent is in an extreme or exceptional drought.
    Of course most Americans don’t really care as long as water keeps coming out of the taps. And for the moment, nobody is going without water.
    But that could change if this drought continues to intensify.

    According to the Denver Post, Lake Powell and Lake Mead have both dropped “to dangerous levels”…
    Water levels at Lake Mead and Lake Powell are dropping to dangerous levels, reflecting the Colorado River’s worsening “structural deficit,” scientists said.
    A “structural deficit” is simply a very fancy way of saying that we are using water faster than it is being replenished.
    Lake Powell is being steadily drained to support Lake Mead, and at this point the water levels in both lakes have fallen to levels that are unprecedented
    “I want people to know that what’s going on at Lake Mead is very, very closely tied to what’s going on Lake Powell,” Doug Kenney said, the group’s chair and a professor at the University of Colorado. “We’re draining Lake Powell to prop it up.”
    Lake Powell is about 48 percent full, and Lake Mead is about 38 percent full. By the end of the year, Powell’s levels are projected to fall 94 feet (29 meters) below where the reservoir stood in 2000 when it was nearly full.
    Many Americans don’t realize how exceedingly important these two lakes are.

    Approximately 40 million people in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and northwestern Mexico rely on water from the Colorado River basin, and it has been steadily drying out for about 20 years
    The Colorado River basin, which feeds the two reservoirs, has been drying out over the last two decades, scientists said. With the demands from farms and cities exceeding the available the water supply, the strains on the river and reservoirs are being compounded by growing population, drought and climate change.
    The Colorado River and its tributaries support about 40 million people and more than 7,800 square miles (20,200 square kilometers) of farmland.
    If things don’t change, and there is no reason to believe that they will, we will soon have a shortfall.
    What that means is that certain areas would have their water allocations reduced, and Arizona and Nevada would be at the top of that list
    The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation said the chances of a shortfall in Lake Mead, the river’s biggest reservoir, are now 57 percent, up from the 52 percent projected in May.
    If the surface of Lake Mead drops below 1,075 feet (330 meters) above sea level, some deliveries would be cut under agreements governing the system.
    Arizona, Nevada and Mexico would have their shares reduced first in a shortage.
    Are you starting to understand how serious this is?



    More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-...ous-low-levels
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment



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  20. #17
    Odds at 6 / 10ths now . So I will put my silver dollar in .
    Do something Danke

  21. #18
    The DUST BOWL had ceased by the early 1940s, after it had been there most of the decade of the 1930s.
    FDR's advisors had no idea why it started or why it quit. It may be back. If so, expect a displacement of
    populations, lousy harvests. A disruption of agribusiness & maybe the selling of the last few family farms.

  22. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by Aratus View Post
    The DUST BOWL had ceased by the early 1940s, after it had been there most of the decade of the 1930s.
    FDR's advisors had no idea why it started or why it quit. It may be back. If so, expect a displacement of
    populations, lousy harvests. A disruption of agribusiness & maybe the selling of the last few family farms.
    Good point, these things go in cycles, it's the only thing you can be certain of.
    "The Patriarch"

  23. #20
    I predict water is extremely susceptible for total control.
    Stories of Flint then Detroit. OMG we have a failing water infrastructure.
    Clean water is a human right!
    Millions of Americans don't have access to clean drinking water.
    Not even our children in their own schools!
    How much lead or copper is too much!
    You cannot just take water out of the ground and call it a well for yourself! What makes you think that is your water? If you do have a well because no public water is available you must abide by strict regulations and have your water tested independently each quarter. You cannot sell a house that is not hooked up to public water.



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