
Mead Lake: More human remains found when water level in the country’s largest body of water drops
National Park Service Rangers answered a call Saturday afternoon that reported the remains in Calville Bay. A forensic examination by Clark County is helping to determine the cause of death, according to the NPS, which said “no further information is available at this time.”
It was the second set of human remains found on Lake Mead, the country’s largest body of water, after the water level dropped. The first body found on May 1 was probably a homicide victim who died from a gunshot wound “some time in the mid-1970s – early 1980s, based on the clothes and shoes in which the victim was found,” the press said. -release. from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police.
“The lake has dropped sharply over the past 15 years,” Las Vegas Police Lt. Ray Spencer said at the time, noting that “we are likely to find additional bodies that have been dumped into Lake Mead if the water level drops more.” .
About 40 million people in the West are relying on water from the Colorado River and its two largest reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, which have fallen at an alarming rate in recent years amid a severe drought caused by climate change.
As of Monday, the water level at Lake Mead was about 1,052 feet above sea level – about 162 feet below the 2000 level when it was last considered full. This is the lowest level for the reservoir since it was filled in the 1930s.
The low water level in the lake opened in April for the first time one of the reservoir’s original water intake valves. The valve has been in operation since 1971, but it can no longer draw water, according to the Southern Nevada Water Authority. This agency is responsible for managing water resources for 2.2 million people in southern Nevada, including Las Vegas.
Upstream Lake Powell federal officials announced unprecedented emergency measures last week to conserve more water in the reservoir – and preserve Glen Canyon’s ability to generate hydropower – instead of sending it downstream to Lake Mead.
“We have never taken this step before, but the potential risk on the horizon requires immediate action,” Assistant Minister of Water and Science Tanya Trujillo told reporters last week. “We need to work together to stabilize the reservoir before we face a major crisis.”
The-CNN-Wire
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