Is Lake Mead really drying up? We went to the Hoover Dam to get answers.
In recent years, the drying up of Lake Mead has made national headlines, as fears of climate change abound. We've heard the stories of millions of homes being put at risk of being without water and power, of human remains being found as the water levels decrease, and of potential plans to divert water from other sources such as the Mississippi River. The situation sounds pretty dire, and it even lit a fire under us to go visit Lake Mead while we still could. We didn't know what to expect once we got there. Would there still be a lake to visit? How deep would it be? Are the locals as concerned as the media claims?
It's true that Lake Mead is a powerhouse for a very large area in the southwestern US, including the cities of Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles. A reservoir created by the Hoover Dam, it's the largest in volume in the entire country. Back in the 1920s, the Colorado River flowed intensely through the area, and talks began to tame the river in order to use it to build and improve the lives of Americans. It was no easy feat. Not only was the sheer conceptualization of such an endeavor a major challenge, but the actual building of the dam required engineering prowess that is remarkable for the Great Depression era. First, the giant rock walls of the canyon would need to be demolished, and after that, the river diverted to make space for the building of the dam. Diversion tunnels were created, and then commenced the arduous and sometimes deadly process of constructing the dam with concrete blocks. The structure was only one part. Then, engineers needed to figure out how to use the river's water to create hydroelectric power. The dam houses 17 generators that take the water and spin it into turbines that supply electricity for this region of the country. Then called the Boulder Dam, it finished construction in just five years, two years ahead of schedule. What resulted was an engineering and architectural marvel, built so sturdy that its estimated lifetime is thousands of years.
The dam created the ability for life to flourish in the Southwest. The towns and cities in the area exist because of it, and now it's a lifesource of both electricity and water to homes, businesses, and farms. Think about the last tangerine you ate. It's quite likely that that tangerine made its way to you because Lake Mead exists.
So when the news stories come out, indicating that climate change is depleting the lake to catastrophic proportions, it's best that people take note. We headed to the Hoover Dam to get a tour of this impressive piece of engineering, and to see firsthand how this matter is being dealt with.
It's pretty obvious by now that we love ourselves a good dam. It's dam near impossible not to marvel at the conjunction of nature and industrialization. Did we ever think we'd have so many dam visits on our RV adventures? No, but given that they combine history, ecology, geology, meteorology, architecture, economics, and engineering, these dam structures certainly provide some opportunities for learning, so we can become just a bit dam smarter as a result of our dam travels. The Hoover Dam is a must-see for any dam lover, but not because it holds tons of accolades. In fact, we were surprised at how few it holds. What it does though, is stand as a symbol of strength and perseverance in difficult economic times, and it's gotten one heck of a return on initial investment, coming in under budget and annually generating 130% of its initial cost to build.
We drove through Lake Mead National Recreation Area on our way to the dam, stopping along the way to take pictures by the blue waters. Yes, there's still water, and contrary to rumor, plenty of recreational activities for swimmers, boaters, and fishermen. When we arrived to the dam, we first took some time to drive over it, then walk over it, and then head to various overlooks to gain perspective on this masterpiece. Then it was time for the dam tour. We headed downstairs to the Visitor's Center, went through a security check, and were ushered into a theater where we watched an introductory video on the history of the dam, the lake, and the thriving culture it created here in the Southwest.
The Bureau of Reclamation is in charge of overseeing the distribution of reliable hydropower to this part of the country, and workers at the Bureau serve as tour guides in the dam. We were fortunate to have a very small tour group, and all of us seemed eager to learn as much as possible about the dam and the state of Lake Mead today. We were led into one of the old diversion tunnels that helped keep the river water from flooding the construction site. We learned about the two spillways that were created in case of flooding of the river. Since the dam was built, there has only been one time where the spillways needed to be used, other than when they were tested. Then we went into the Nevada power station. The generators are huge and each weigh close to 600 tons. The room houses two ceiling cranes that together can move heavy pieces of these generators, such as rotors if one needs replacing. What's equally impressive is how thick the walls of the dam need to be in order to stand up against the water pressure. Our guide told us stories about how the construction crews used steel pipes to run ice old water through, to get the concrete to cure faster. This allowed for continuous construction throughout the build process.
On our way out of the powerhouse, we had to wait a while for the elevator, which gave us time to get the real dirt on the situation that we were all wondering about. According to our tour guide, Lake Mead is currently at about 350ft when its max is 500ft. If the water level gets below 200ft, it can't get into the dam to generate power because of where the intakes are located. The depletion of water levels in the lake aren't new; there has been a steady decline of water levels since Lake Mead was created, but they fluctuate from season to season. This year, there has been a lot of snowfall in the mountains surrounding the Colorado River. This snowmelt will run into the river, which will then journey its way down to the dams along the river, including the Hoover Dam. The media is often like a game of telephone. The message starts as something true, but when it travels through enough sources, it can accrue some inaccuracies or exaggerations. Millions of people rely on this reservoir for their livelihood, but that's why it's important to get real information now, so that proper agencies can start making plans today for something that will be a significant matter in the future. Right now though, the operations surrounding Lake Mead are running just fine, and we're glad to have seen for ourselves the state of this essential resource.
Editor's Note: A few weeks after writing this post, predictions came out that Lake Mead's water would rise to record levels in 2023, due to the vast amount of rain and snowfall this past winter. While these storms wreaked havoc on the surrounding areas, causing floods and destruction in the mountains of California, Colorado, and Arizona, the higher water levels mean that the energy can continue being reliably supplied to the Southwest region. As stated previously, the supply was not in danger for this year, but a rise in the water levels was welcome. It's unfortunate that it was a result of damaging precipitation in the higher elevations.