Diminishing Supply
Lake Mead is one of the largest water reservoirs which provides water for irrigation and electricity through the Hoover dam. The water in Lake Mead is replenished by rainfall and snow melt, which have been abnormally low in the past few years because of drought conditions in the west. Lack of precipitation caused an observed 18 meter (59 foot) water level decrease in the three-year time span between 2000 and 2003.
Viewer tip: There are simple ways to conserve water during drought. Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth, and fill the sink when shaving and washing up. You can also look into adding aerators to your older sink faucets. Older sink faucets use between three and seven gallons of water per minute; aerators cut the flow to about 1.5 gallons per minute!
Seasons: All
(Sources: Helvarg, David. 2006. “50 Ways to Save the Ocean.” Inner Ocean Publishing; Metropolitan Council Water Conservation List, http://www.metrocouncil.org/Environment/WaterSupply/conservation.htm; NASA, “Drought lowers lake mead” http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/LakeMead/)
