The plummeting water level of Lake Mead has exposed one of the reservoir’s original water intake valves for the first time, officials say.
The plummeting water level of Lake Mead has exposed one of the reservoir's original water intake valves for the first time, officials say.
Amid the West's climate change-fueled megadrought, Lake Mead -- the largest manmade reservoir in the country and a source of water for millions of people -- has fallen to an unprecedented low. The valve had been in service since 1971 but can no longer draw water, according to the Southern Nevada Water Authority, which is responsible for managing water resources for 2.2 million people in Southern Nevada, including Las Vegas.
Water flowing down the Colorado River fills Lake Mead and Lake Powell -- another critical reservoir in the West -- and the river system supports more than 40 million people living across seven Western states and Mexico. Both reservoirs provide drinking water and irrigation for many communities across the region, including rural farms, ranches and native communities.The federal government declared a water shortage on the Colorado River for the first time last summer.
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