The slow, painful death of a giant

"We really need a government who knows how to handle real consequential issues such as this, rather than just being 'woke'. Nobody who has lived in the southwest for decades, had a clue this could happen. In mean, Lake Mead looked like an inland sea. It sure did to me, when I visited there in the 1960's."    

Lake Mead. I remember going there as a kid. My dad, who worked for an engineering and manufacturing company, was fascinated how the Hoover Dam was built to create this giant lake. Built in 1936, it changed the desert southwest. It saved California. It allowed the state of Arizona to become the state of Arizona. Without the Colorado River feeding Lake Mead and Lake Powell, living in Arizona would be like living on the surface of the Moon.

Lake Mead is named after Elwood Mead, who was "Mr. Water" for the desert southwest prior to the building of the Hoover Dam. He was so instrumental in helping getting the projects of Hoover Dam and Lake Powell going, this giant man-made lake Hoover Dam created, is named after him. Mead's dream was a desert southwest, changed forever by having plenty of water from the dammed up Colorado River. I bet he never imagined this once in 1,200 year super drought. He might be spinning in his grave, if he could see Lake Mead today.

Lake Mead continues to drop. It is at about 37% of capacity. If this trend continues, Lake Mead will all be taken out of the formula to supply much needed water to this growing area of our country. And if that happens, what is plan "B"? Good question.

As soon as Lake Mead becomes a minor factor instead of a major factor in supplying water to states like Arizona, it will be the start of a huge migration out of the desert southwest. Folks who own property down there, this will be a nightmare. Is there anything this country can do to help ameliorate the coming suffering from losing Lake Mead? Maybe - but it will take time and money.

Some in the desert southwest, want part of the Mississippi diverted. This would be a MAJOR construction effort, and would take years of planning and litigation. The trick would be to have enough diverted from the Mississippi to help the southwest's water shortage, without hurting cities like New Orleans at the same time. 

Or - put de-salination plants in Death Valley. Again, these would take time and money. But other arid countries have done projects like this. The problem we have is this - time is not our friend. And the press is giving this crisis very little coverage. But they should be. This is HUGE. Without water, cities cease to exist. People will not live there. 

A man and his two adult sons, who live by Lake Mead, has started a weekly You Tube channel to show how this giant lake is shrinking. They show it, week by week. They have video evidence to show how Mead is shrinking. It is amazing to watch. It is scary to watch. 

We really need a government who knows how to handle real consequential issues such as this, rather than just being "woke". Nobody who has lived in the southwest for decades, had a clue this could happen. In mean, Lake Mead looked like an inland sea. It sure did to me, when I visited there in the 1960's.