The water levels in Lake Mead are continuously on the declining side due to climate change and drought conditions. The lake is alongside the Hoover Dam and is the largest human-built reservoir in the U.S. It lies between Nevada and Arizona. About 20 years ago, the lake used to be full.
The declining water levels in the lake are causing new things to emerge at the surface. Earlier in May, human remains were found in the lake. And now, the remains of a World War II-era sunken boat have come up.
The boat is the Higgins landing craft. It was built by Higgins Industries in New Orleans. It was used to do surveys of the Colorado River.
It was lying 185 below the water surface, but now due to the receding water level, its part can be seen above the surface. It is actually halfway visible. The location of the sunken boat is within one mile of Lake Mead Marina and Hemingway Harbor.
The water levels of both of the lakes, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, are declining. This is an alarming situation. It is impacting the hydropower generation capacity at the Hoover Dam and at the Glen Canyon Dam. In order to handle this critical situation, the authorities are planning to take some action if the water consumption is not reduced.
One-half to one acre-foot of water a year is used by an average household. An acre-foot of water is approximately equal to 325,850 gallons. Most of the water is consumed by the farmers.
