10-05-2025
Excessive warm weather and below-average snowpack cause concern for Lake Mead's water levels
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – Water officials are bracing for impact as the excessive warm weather and below-average snowpack across the Rockies have caused concern for the nation's largest reservoir.
'It's a big lake, huge lake, but it's a shame to see it go down this much,' Gary Peck, a boater at Lake Mead, shared with 8 News Now.
'The volume of water was much higher a decade ago than it is right now, and when we go around the lake, you can see all of these empty spots where we used to go and jump in the water,' Suzana Fox, a boater at Lake Mead shared.
Federal data and predictions about our reservoir's elevations show a decrease in water levels. Those at the Great Basin Water Network are expecting the nation's largest reservoir to drop a number of feet this summer.
'This year, it seems like we are hitting an intense pattern of aridity. We're not seeing the moisture that we saw in 2023 going into 2024,'Great Basin Water Network Executive Director, Kyle Roerink, explained.
He also added that it's vital for consumers to be conservative with their water usage right now.
'We have to remember that Las Vegas is in the Mojave Desert, so one of the driest places in the nation and in the world. We have to be very conscious,' he said. 'Unfortunately, there's so much uncertainty just behind the hydrology because we are waiting for some major agreements between the seven Colorado River basin states, the federal government, and Mexico, but since the new administration came into office, a lot of things have been upended.'
The Great Basin Water Network was formed to protect the water resources for residents, animals, and plants and promote water conservation programs.
The Great Basin includes parts of Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Oregon, and California.
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