Quantcast
MobileRJ | RSS TwitterTwitter FacebookFacebook E-mail Alerts
Home manage Las Vegas Review-Journal
  Jobs Cars Homes Shopping Travel Weddings Golf Best of Las Vegas Photo   Search:

RECENT EDITIONS
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

sponsored by
News
Nov. 19, 2008
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Lake Mead fares better in new study

Upon further review, research shows reservoir has less than 5 percent chance of drying up by '21

By AMANDA LEE MYERS
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- There's a less than 5 percent chance that Lake Mead, one of the nation's largest reservoirs, could dry up by 2021, contradicting a study earlier this year predicting a more dire possibility, according to research presented Tuesday in Scottsdale.

The research, conducted by scientists at the University of Colorado, was presented at a Colorado River symposium at a Scottsdale resort. The findings are expected to be published sometime next year.

Most Popular Stories
  • Three suspects arrested in shooting death of police officer
  • Three suspects arrested in shooting death of police officer
  • FATAL SHOOTING: Police again mourn comrade
  • NORM: Biden finds rank has its privileges
  • NORM: Walton: Coach deserved a punch
  • Two of three suspects in slaying of officer could face death penalty
  • DEADLY HOME INVASION: Police suspect link to family
  • Station Casinos posts $455 million third-quarter loss
  • Las Vegas police shoot at man fleeing after traffic stop
  • Las Vegas police shoot at man fleeing after traffic stop
  • UNLV sacks football coach Sanford
  • NORM: CityCenter seeks presidential visit




    • Lake Mead is one of several large reservoirs on the Colorado River that holds drinking and irrigation water for millions of people in western states.

    A study released in February said there's a 50 percent chance that climate change would leave Lake Mead dry by 2021. The study, conducted by the San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography, stunned water managers in the West, with one calling it absurd.

    The more recent research shows there's less than a 5 percent chance that the lake will dry up by 2021, and a 40 percent chance it will go dry in any given year after 2050.

    The Las Vegas Valley gets 90 percent of its drinking water from Lake Mead.

    J.C. Davis, spokesman for the Southern Nevada Water Authority, said the latest projections for the reservoir should come as no surprise to water managers in the region.

    "There is a broad spectrum of climate models out there. That's what makes our job so challenging," Davis said. "But we like their optimism."

    Maybe optimism is the wrong word. Although they came up with different numbers, the scientists who conducted the conflicting research agree that Lake Mead is in trouble.

    "The risk is not zero and it's not even at 1 percent or 2 percent, and that should give people some pause," said Bradley Udall, director of the University of Colorado Western Water Assessment and co-author of the recent findings. "Even a 5 percent chance of a dry reservoir in any one year, it's significant, and 20 percent is very, very high, and 40 percent is off the charts with regard to making a reliable water system."

    Tim Barnett, a research marine physicist at the Scripps institution and co-author of the study released in February, said he did not make any errors in conducting his research, but that's beside the point.

    "The point is, whether it's 40 percent in 2050 or 40 percent by 2030, that's a hell of a problem," he said. "The main factor is we're taking more water out of the system than Mother Nature is putting in. And as long as that's true, you can tell what's going to happen.

    "You don't have to be a rocket scientist."

    In December, seven western states and Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne signed an agreement to conserve and share scarce water if the Colorado River drought continues.

    The agreement established triggers that would reduce river water deliveries to states if the lake's water level falls to 1,075 feet above sea level. It also calls for states to create agreements for further restrictions if the level drops to 1,025 feet.

    The lake is currently half full at 1,107 feet.

    Las Vegas Review-Journal writer Henry Brean contributed to this report.

    Newsvine Digg Fark Technorati reddit StumbleUpon del.icio.us Slashdot Propeller Mixx Furl Twitter MySpace Facebook Google Bookmarks Yahoo! Bookmarks Windows Live Favorites Ask MyStuff myAOL Favorites

    Leave Your Comment 11 Reader Comments
    Terms & Conditions
    The following comments are provided by readers and are the sole responsiblity of the authors. The reviewjournal.com does not review comments before publication nor guarantee their accuracy. By publishing a comment here you agree to abide by the comment policy. If you see a comment that violates the policy, please notify the web editor.

    Some comments may not display immediately due to an automatic filter. These comments will be reviewed within 48 hours. Please do not submit a comment more than once.
    Current Word Count:

    Note: Comments made by reporters and editors of the Las Vegas Review-Journal are presented with a yellow background.

    Gaby Rodriguez wrote on February 09, 2009 08:30 AM: i doing this for my geography class called project citizen and i was wondering if there was a way for me to contact the author of this article, Amanda lee Myers, for a interview. i would like to ask her questions about the problem we are having with the water shortage. please write back ASAP>=.



    thanks


    Thirsty Guy wrote on November 20, 2008 08:52 AM: The article states that LV gets 90% of its water from Lake Mead but does not state that LV gets only 4% of the water that travels by us on the Colorado system... why don't we buy more from other Colorado River recipients?


    Ray Walker wrote on November 19, 2008 03:14 PM: Understand something...Lake Mead can be kept reasonably FULL !

    The Bureau of Reclamation received a request on August 19, 2008 to lease the unused space for the purposes of storing up to a million acre feet EACH YEAR with water from a totally non-tributary Source. No water rights on the Colorado River or anywhere else will bedamaged and neither will the environment, in fact the environment can be enhanced in many ways !

    Lake Mead holds 28 million acre feet and presently has 15 million in storage.
    Ray Walker (Retired Water Rights Analyst) waterrdw@yahoo.com


    TimeRanger wrote on November 19, 2008 10:39 AM: Well, it is estimated that it takes around 1,400 acre-feet of water per year to replenish what Lake Las Vegas loses to evaporation. Draining that lake would be a good start.


    wildbill wrote on November 19, 2008 09:58 AM: bigwave...
    I am doing all I can to conserve also. I believe that it would still be cheaper to start looking into it now than later. The SNWA is willing to spend over $1 billion for the pumping scheme already, so why not think ahead?


    bigwave wrote on November 19, 2008 09:34 AM: wildbill,

    I work in a hydrologic field. The primary problem with desalination is its cost. As it stands now, it would not be cost effective. If water shortages develop/worsen, then perhaps the cost could be justified. Until then, let's do what we can to help the situation. I turned my sprinkler system off two years ago, and have been digging out the non-native plants (which need more water) as they die.


    david wrote on November 19, 2008 09:04 AM: I've heard that at some low lake level the dams power generation is crippled. Does anyone know what that level would be?


    Carl wrote on November 19, 2008 08:53 AM: The research was "presented at a Colorado River symposium at a Scottsdale resort."

    What resort? Did the Colorado River Commission send employees to attend?

    wildbill; what an ignorant statement. Why don't you do a little research on the issue, there is plenty of stuff to read, and get back to us with some real facts.


    wildbill wrote on November 19, 2008 08:09 AM: I can't understand why we are not looking into de-salinization plants and building a pipeline to Lake Mead instead of pumping water from our northern areas. Oh wait...I just realized the Environazi's would be upset.


    oy wrote on November 19, 2008 05:16 AM: What gets me is this. Back east they keep their reservoirs that provide drinking water pretty prestine.

    Here we let hundreds of thousands of people boat & swim on this lake. Not only that last time I was out there I found ONE, yes ONE outhouse out on the beaches frequented by boaters.

    Hmmmm, wonder where they are all "going"? You guessed it, either in the lake or right beside it... Nice....


    Read All Comments