The intensity of the drought in western North America was evident in Lake Mead formed by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River.
Drought is once again affecting the western United States, putting millions of people’s access to water at risk.
The intensity of the drought in western North America was evident in Lake Mead formed by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River. Located near Las Vegas, on the border between Arizona and Nevada, the lake is the largest reservoir in the United States and feeds 25 million people in three states and Mexico.
But now the lake’s water level is so low that previously submerged bodies of murder victims decades ago are being revealed. One was found with lead inside the barrel—probably because someone thought it would hide forever at the bottom of the vast reservoir.
As the bodies spark debate over the Las Vegas gang’s past, water experts warn of even more alarming consequences. If the lake continues to recede, it could reach a level so low that it could stop Hoover Dam from generating electricity or supplying water to cities.
California residents have been instructed to conserve water at home to avoid the risk of forced supply restrictions, as severe drought on the US west coast is predicted to worsen during the northern hemisphere summer months.
The guidelines are for people to wash the outside areas of their homes less often and to take shorter showers. In Los Angeles, many people have been asked to reduce their water consumption by 35% as California has a record dry start to the year.
NASA, the US space agency that monitors changes in water levels, warns that the western United States is entering one of the worst droughts on record.
“With climate change, it seems like the dominoes are starting to fall,” says NASA hydrologist JT Reager. “There are higher temperatures, less precipitation and less snow. Reservoirs are starting to dry up and in places like the west [dos Estados Unidos]We have forest fires.”
These factors are starting to have “increasingly stronger effects”, Reager told the BBC. “It’s kind of accelerating now, like watching this disaster coming in slow motion.”
Decline in food production
Farmers are also starting to feel the consequences of the drought. After all, about 75% of Lake Mead’s water goes to agriculture.
More than one-third of vegetables and two-thirds of fruits and nuts in the United States are grown in California. But thousands of hectares are not planted because farmers cannot find enough water to irrigate their crops.
According to California farmer Bill Diedrich, the effect could be seen on supermarket shelves next year. He explains that this season’s produce will appear in stores next year, showing his dormant, completely dry fields. Normally, Diedrich used to plant tomatoes for canning in the industry, but this year there was not enough water.
He says he hopes his children will continue to farm in California in the future. But now, “I don’t know what the odds are of that happening.”
For many people living in California’s agricultural center, the wells are already drying up and they don’t have the money to dig deeper wells. Outreach organizations provide bottled water for washing and large non-potable water tanks.
In San Joaquim Valley, California, local resident Fabian (who refuses to give his last name) says he and his family of five rely on outdoor water tanks to flush and flush the toilet. Fabian regrets moving with his family to a rural area where there is so much insecurity in the water supply.
“It’s pretty scary because right now we don’t know what the situation will be like in a month or two. Maybe we don’t have any more water,” he says.
Many farmers argue that the time has come for a monumental new infrastructure project like the Hoover Dam, built in the 1930s. Such a project would allow more rainwater to be stored instead of ending up in the ocean.
Dams are controversial, and environmentalists often oppose it. But with a severe drought like the current one, even California’s Democratic leadership – strongly aligned with environmental groups – has suggested restarting some of the state’s shelved dam projects.
Taking water from the air
Some are restless while others innovate. Arizona-based company Source is installing hydropanels that use the power of the sun to draw water from the air into homes in California and other parts of the world.
Source’s director, Kat George, was in California’s Central Valley when the company installed hydropanels in 1,000 homes, ensuring people had clean water. Although the wells are still operational, in many areas the water is contaminated with chemicals used in agriculture and cannot be safely drunk.
The company uses solar energy to run the fans inside the panels, collecting and filtering the moisture in the air, making it safe to drink. The panels do not produce enough water for washing, but can a small system provide drinking water to a family? As long as the sun is common in California.
They argue that technology can provide clean water to anyone who needs it, anywhere, but not enough for irrigation or irrigation in agriculture.
‘The lake is half full’
In Lake Mead, boating is no longer possible at the Callville Bay marina, and the “lakeside” restaurant is now a long walk from the water.
But the corpses didn’t do much damage to the trade. New beaches have emerged and divers are visiting the lake in search of more bodies, according to Chad Taylor, the marina’s sales and marketing officer.
“I’m the ‘lake half full’ type,” she says. “We’re still open for business.”
source: Noticias
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