The Southern Nevada Water Authority has released its annual Water Resource Plan, which shows the challenges of dealing with a dwindling Colorado River.
Lake Mead
Tens of millions of people — and millions of acres of farmland — rely on the Colorado River’s water. But as its supply shrinks, these farmers get more water from the river than entire states.
Steady decline in the system that provides Southern Nevada with 90 percent of its water has been slowed, thanks to a bountiful snowmelt and shrinking water usage.
“We have seen increasing trends of unsafe and unlawful activity over the past few years that is not just limited to DUI incidents,” a National Park Service spokesperson said.
As much as one-third of Nevada’s normal share of the Colorado River would stay in Lake Mead, but officials say Las Vegas has been getting ready for this for years.
Lake Mead is planning to close a boat ramp and move some toilets and dumpsters to prepare for an influx of water from Glen Canyon Dam.
A federal deadline to make cuts in water use from Lake Mead, Lake Powell and the rest of the Colorado River hits next week.
The National Park Service confirmed Wednesday the recovery of human skeletal remains from Lake Mead by a park service dive team.
Three jurisdictions that provide water to valley customers are investigating more cases with more inspectors and assessing more fines than ever before.
After the National Park Service discovered human remains at Lake Mead, users took to Twitter to speculate on the investigation.
The monsoonal rains that returned to Southern Nevada on Monday brought with them a special treat: waterfalls at the Hoover Dam.