Ominous trend in American West could signal a looming "megadrought"

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Come spring, the American West's vast water reservoirs are supposed to fill with melting snow. However, this year, as in recent years, the large reservoirs of Lake Mead and Lake Powell in the Colorado River basin area have seen declining water levels — an ominous trend that a new study warns could signal a looming megadrought.

"The persistence of the drought conditions, in the Colorado River basin especially, is essentially unprecedented in human history," John Fleck, author of "Water is for Fighting Over," told CBS News' John Blackstone.

Fleck has spent years studying the Colorado River, a crucial source of water for much of the region around it. He said that Lake Mead and Lake Powell's reservoirs have what he described as "big bathtub rings" around them, left behind as the water declines.

"There is less water in the system now than there was 20 and 30 years ago," he said.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/ominous-trend-in-american-west-could-signal-a-looming-megadrought/ar-BB13QqsP?li=BBnbcA1

I visited the Hoover Dam some ten years ago as a side trip while in Las Vegas. You could see the bathtub rings in Lake Mead back then.

[Snackshack]

1. Yep

I went to Vegas a few years ago and was left breathless by the size of the ring when crossing Hoover Dam. The 4 water intakes on the backside of the dam had just a little water around the base of them. I was astonished.

[mountain grammy]

2. The drought is due mainly to development and increased population..

We have wet years and dry years, but the population keeps growing and growing and growing..

[Kali]

3. not really.

those are problems, but the drought has to do with less precipitation. we have over 70 years of daily rain records. starting in the late 80s and 90s the AVERAGE went from 16 to 18 inches annually to 14-15. that happened over less than 10 years. record low amounts happened during that decade - as low as 8 inches. and the timing of the rains matters almost as much as the amounts. some of those low years were not as bad as they sound, but some were much worse.

the collective "we" have been talking about this for 40 years. my kids grew up not knowing what a muddy corral was, I spent many of my younger summers slogging through ankle deep goo when I was a kid.

[mountain grammy]

4. I totally agree with you..

the decrease in precipitation is a fact and we're dyer than we were 40 years ago, no doubt. Just two years ago the runoff in southern Colorado was zilch.

What I meant was the population of the Southwest has exploded in the last 30 or so years and they're using water like it'll be there forever, which it won't. Even with population growth, water usage can be managed, but it's an uphill battle to get people to understand and appreciate how scarce our water supply will become without major investments.

I won't be around for this mega drought, but I see it coming and the populations down river better start preparing, but the states can't come to an agreement.. Last I heard, Arizona was the holdout, but haven't kept up on it for a while.