America's Hoover Dam Could Run Out of Water, Soon

THE HOOVER DAM COULD LITERALLY TURN OFF, SOON, FROM A LACK OF WATER

The Hoover Dam could literally run out of water and stop creating power. Like, soon. The Hoover Dam, if you didn’t know, was build between 1931 and 1936, during the Depression Era years. Damming the Colorado River created that largest reservoir in the United States, to the tune of 248 square miles. That’s…. large, with a capacity to hold 28.9 million acre-feet of water, with each acre-foot equal to roughly 325,000 gallons. This reservoir, which we know as Lake Mead, supplies water to 22 million people in Nevada, Arizona, California as well as Mexico, and irrigates over 1.5 million acres of land.

15 YEARS OF DROUGHT WITH NO END IN SIGHT MEANS LESS WATER EVERY DAY

So it’s a bit alarming to realize that a drought over the last 15 years has depleted Lake Mead’s water levels to a low level we haven’t seen since it was first filled by Hoover Dam back in the 1930’s. And therein lies the problem; if this trend continues, the water won’t be high enough to feed the Hoover Dam turbines. And this is a Problem, because beyond all the farmland, thirsty people and businesses needing water, over half a million American homes get power from the Hoover Dam. So is this new and unexpected news? Not… entirely. But just like global warming, the water is falling much faster than expected. Instead of this being a real, major concern in a decade, the Hover Dam could run out of water in the next couple of years.

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500,000 HOMES GET POWER FROM HOOVER DAM, AND 22 MILLION GET WATER FROM LAKE MEAD

And with the oligopoly in America’s energy production market, energy companies, governments and We the People just haven’t done enough (barely anything) either to mitigate this crossroads or create alternatives. And this is only talking about a lack of water ending Hoover Dam power production, which would cripple the entire American Southwest. But when it comes to water as a human and agricultural resource, it will be even worse. 3 states will be bickering over who has to sacrifice and in what amount (the presumption being Mexico would simply lose all access). Businesses will be lobbying for their “share” politically. And 22 million people will be rationing, at best, while they have no power for air conditioning.

It might not be the best time to kill wind, solar and (other) water energy production, right? Take another look at the line in the picture, that’s where the water level used to be. You can track the water level, monthly, here.