Saturday, April 17, 2021 | 2 a.m.
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Lake Mead is 40% full, according to the Bureau of Reclamation. But the lake is 100% empty in the sense that the remaining water could go to other Colorado River reservoirs and they would not be full.
According to NASA, 19 of the warmest years have occurred since 2000, and 2020 tied for the warmest year recorded.
Global warming contributes to slightly less snow in upstream states, more evaporation from all 15 Colorado River reservoirs, and more evaporation from over 1,000 miles of concrete canals. River vegetation, farms and cities simultaneously need more water.
Via their carbon emissions, 50 states and 200 nations “use” Colorado River water. It is impossible to quantify, but perhaps Europe has annually been “using” an amount of Colorado River water equal to that used by Boulder City, and the world has been “using” an amount equal to that used by Henderson.
Given certain global warming acceleration, perhaps in a decade the world will be “using” an amount of river water equal to Las Vegas. Over 95% of the water in Lake Mead goes to California, Arizona and Mexico.
Lake Mead provides water for 40 million people; by comparison, the six New England states have 15 million people. Global warming was well established late in the 20th century. Politicians and water agencies have been ignoring a half-dozen Colorado River solutions for decades.
