Lake Mead FILLING UP Again? Water Level UPDATE 2024 Lake Powell Colorado River California Flooding! 

If there is any place in the US that needs water management, it's the SW. Farming in the desert just makes no sense. Evetually it will catch up with us....like right now for example. Let the non-desert areas of the country handle the agriculture so us desert dwellers do not have to be concerned about lack of water. Desert landscaping is beautiful. Upcoming generations will have to continue to re-adapt desert living w/o lawns. Golf courses are doing a better job today with minimal grass, so that's a big plus, and they use grey water only to keep grass alive. Good job!

Water is life!

I love rainy days. I'm in South Florida. MUCH rain every Summer.

Not if you live in England 😁😁😁😁

Liquid sunshine

And it sounds great on my roof. I sleep like a baby when it rains...

Here in Palm Springs, most have adopted zeroscape into their yards using the local vegetation as a way of making things beautiful. A colorful pot here and there and local species of trees finish it off. Water use is minimal.

Biome-appropriate is the term you mean instead of dividing it into grass lawns versus corset plants. Those areas were grasslands before OVERGRAZING, plowing, fallow/bare ground practices, flooding, synthetic chemical inputs, monocultures, etc eroded away a lot of the carbon rich soil and killed off plant life. What really needs to be done is rainwater harvesting to soil. This includes diverting street water into bioswales and raingardens instead of letting it flow to storm drains. This increases the watertable in a constructive way, whole also rebuilding soil and plant biomes.

​@@cgage_01 Xeriscaping is the spelling you mean...

This problem is so so much bigger than the lawn issue. But the media has to say something that won't worry people too much.

Outstanding, glad you enjoyed the video and thanks for stopping in to leave a comment!👍 Very cool with the homestead, you are living our dream! We are always looking for land to start an off-grid experiment. Nothing but space up in Elko! It's pretty remote in that part of the country. People don't understand rural Nevada until they see it. There are rumours that a modern day gold and lithium rush is starting in several places around Nevada and that area is one of them. I wouldn't be surprised if in the far-future another Reno type city popped up over on that side of the State. Good luck with the homestead and I'm sure it will have a a healthy supply of water into Spring. You should definitely document your progress on the land too!

Yes it is!

That is excellent news and I hope it's what the USBR is anticipating! I realize I didn't compare the rise at Powell, but now that you pointed it out it has indeed gained more elevation than Mead so far. Just have to wait and see what comes down the pike now 👍

If I understand correctly, it is just following the rules of the Upper Colorado River Compact.

I really like the xeriscaping too! When it's done right looks much better than out of place grass lawns in my opinion. Love the desert flora!

Absolutely right. Evaporation from them causes more rainfall in the catchment. There is a need, I would have thought for something like a doubling of the storage with reservoirs higher up the Colorado and its' tributaries. Whilst the grass thing in Las Vegas may have been necessary as an emergency in the dire circumstances (because of a lack of additional storage upstream built years and years ago) of the crisis years, ripping up the grass provides some work for some contractors I suppose, but ultimately, reduces evaporation and therefore rainfall in the upper catchment. It is small beer and has helped in the crisis but long term additional storage a long time ago would have prevented the crisis in the first place. If upper reservoirs were to be used as just storage .... no electricity or only partial use of the water minimising cost .... the water in Lake Mead and Lake Powell could be kept at close to full making them far more attractive as recreational resources and water based businesses not forced into bankruptcy plus electricity production stablised. The level in the upper reservoirs would rise when precipitation is plentiful and fall in lean years. Of course, no attempt would be made to fill new reservoirs when rainfall is scarce but there have been times when vast amounts of water have been "wasted" via the overflow that could have been used to generate electricity if the water had been stored higher up. Ultimately, the USA MUST get its' population under control by stopping indiscriminate breeding. Two little horrors are enough for anyone .... surely. Children do not sow, neither do they reap. They merely consume ..... biscuits.

Both lakes have done what they WERE built for...

@@terryhoath1983Is there even enough water to fully fill l. Mead and l. Powell each year, or at least once every few years? If not, I do no think that additional storage would help that much.

@@MrToradragonThat person said a lot of blah blah blah which meant nothing. Just trying to sound educated.

@@MrToradragon There is a lesson from the book of Genesis about fat cows and thin cows. What did Joseph learn from this dream ? There were 30 years ... 1970s, 80s and 90s when they had more water than they knew what to do with and vast amounts of water flowed over the Hoover Dam overflow (the overflow is hidden away and rarely seen by visitors). Most of that water disappeared into the Sea and, in the current circumstances, must be seen as water wasted. Since then, there have been more than 20 years of below average precipitation in the catchment. There have been some good years but they have not been sufficient to make up for the deficit in previous years and both lakes Mead and Powell have been like a continuous "bear market" Despite some good days, the trend has been down and down with both lakes in danger of reaching dead pool .... no more electricity and drastic water restrictions especially on agriculture ... dead fruit and nut trees and no lettuce ! This year's precipitation has been exceptional and there may be several fat cows to come. I am sure that you have heard of the snowfall in California and Nevada in the last day or so adding to the total volume of water held in the lakes and the snow pack. More fat cows may not arrive. This year may be a flash in the pan but history suggests that once this has started there is fat cow after fat cow and the lakes fill and vast amounts of water will be lost down the Hoover overflow and out to sea. Sure as eggs is eggs, the thin cows will return and if Joseph's advice is not followed then famine will follow and everyone will ask, "Why didn't we save water when we could ? As I stated earlier, America must do something to stop its' population growth. Increasing population growth in the South-West will only make the water deficits worse. Obviously, if there is insufficient precipitation, and such as there is can be contained within the two big lakes, there is none for extra storage but what if the lakes fill and water starts plunging over the Hoover overflow in two or three years time. This is far more than can be used down stream and the excess ends up in the sea. Dirt cheap dams for just water storage can be created by blowing in the sides of gorges to create natural blockages. Even if these are only 50-100 feet high vast amounts of water could be stored. You dump smaller and smaller material on the back of the dam to reduce seepage to acceptable levels. If the fronts of these dams are kept porous the great chunks of blown-in rock will remain solid and stay in place. It is cheap and a number could be created over the next year. As I say, if there are only a few fat cows the extra storage won't be needed but what if there are a significant number of fat cows. Shame to miss the opportunity to feed the thin cows with spare hay in the barn at least to some extent in the thin years which WILL come. Shame to miss the opportunity to take out insurance BEFORE your house burns down, They won't insure you afterwards.

Brilliantly stated.

Sorry to hear about little Berni🐾 I bet he had quite a personality too. I know the sheltie mixes also and they are adorable. All the poodle mixes really. Bella here is a cockerpoo so she has a lot of poodle going on too👍

"desert"

@@Summerslake I love DESERT SHOWERS but I also love DESSERT SHOWERS (usually consumed as a treat after I take a shower!)

Wow that's the first I've heard of something like that! Not surprised though. Policies seem to change every cycle of wet or dry years... it's like we have amnesia. Would not be surprised if in 5-10 years they figure out removing too much vegetation here has made it worse and start offering tree planting incentives or something similar.

They're a double-edged sword as they can cause a lot of destruction as well 🌧🌧🌊

Beavers do this automatically for free. They're native to all of North America too, so restoration funds are available in places they've been removed.

I'm talking about areas with controlled canals or dry areas with no beavers. But yes, Beavers do good work and before they were almost wiped out probably took care of the problem. @@Heterogeneity

Along the Colorado River water is strictly apportioned. What the recipients do with the water is their business. In practical terms, Lake Mead would be far more efficient at storing water than shallower ponds... less evaporation.

Right on, thank you!👍 I realized pretty early on it's impossible to separate Mead's level from Powell's outflows. We would be missing a large part of the picture by just reporting whether Mead went up or down. Appreciate you watching and commenting!

This is an excellent update on western US water levels; honest and not based on agenda or climate change.

Great to hear! Appreciate you checking out the video and taking interest in it 👍 You are ahead of the curve then, as it will definitely affect everyone far and wide just looking at the food supply chain alone!

I tend to agree, after the flooding in 1983 it's just been problem after problem. Only reliably in service about 20 years. Glen Canyon Dam kind of seems like an afterthought...

Welcome back thanks for checking out another update!👍 It seems the governor there is serious about taking on the farms and wasteful water use. It will be interesting to see how it plays out. UAE has deep pockets and I expect them to pushback with any legal action they can. It could get messy, but we really need a thorough examination of how the resources are being used and where all the money has been going.

@@mojo.adventures - Yes! Very grateful Hobbs is our Gov. So far, she's been acting with a true moral compass. But taking on these Middle East owners will indeed be a battle royale.

Ninth Islander here 🤙

They are starting to realize this and combat the urban heat island problem with ceremonial tree plantings. That is helping raise awareness of the issue, but residents are getting confused by the removal demands then the city re-planting new vegetation. The plan seems to be remove residential grass and create public green spaces like parks and reclamation areas in its place. They don't trust residents will properly irrigate or water grass according to their schedule, and because the grass needs spray nozzles it's inherently wasteful. You have a good analogy with walking barefoot though! Removing too much will definitely make the problem even worse at an increased pace.

Thanks for watching! She loves riding along in that pack more than walking now😂

Glad you enjoyed it👍 Thank you for watching and stopping by to leave a comment!

Reclaim your weekend! 👍 It's easier to upkeep, uses less water, and in my opinion the native vegetation looks better than sprawling green lawns that die every summer. Glad to hear it worked out good for you!

Thank you for watching👍

Awesome, thank you! Just getting started with the new channel👍 I may have to take you up on that offer for a quick sail sometime- if it's still on the table and you can accommodate it 😎⛵

Outstanding! 👍 Hey thanks for taking the time to figure it out. I would have given up when I couldn't find the button😂 Appreciate the support!

That snow melt does make it to those reservoirs.

Spot on, sounds like a good choice! Historically there was a very healthy aquifer system in the Las Vegas valley and everyone originally had wells. So much water sometimes that they wouldn't even cap the wells, they'd just let it pour out into the open desert. Now we are realizing those mistakes and finally having to deal with them. I'm sure 100 years ago they thought the water would never be depleted. Why would all these people want to live in a desert anyways?🙃

Water rights in Arizona are very serious things. About 7 years ago neighbors stole my friend's water well in a small development north of Phoenix! He filed forged paperwork and let it just lie like that with the County until the presumptive challenge period (2 years IIRC) lapsed. Now it officially is in the neighbor's land.

Hespiera is nice.

Did I hear correctly, water in Oregon is now the state's and they can tax or regulated small farmers out of business?

Oh boy that will be all of ten inches of water coming from the mountains. Seeing as how Lake Mead is 100’ down from normal pool 10” of water ain’t gonna do much!

Haha yep say no more! You might get stuck there with all the storms still on the way... I think there might be more "aftermath" to come 👍

Thank you for stopping in from the UK to check out the video! 👍 We have a nice little group from across the pond here on the channel. I've heard there were some similar low water situations over the last few years there but not sure if it was as severe as the situation in the US southwest.

I had to look up the historic levels after seeing your comment😎 In 1974 the lowest level was 1,169 ft asl. Today 1,076. So last time you saw the dam the water was right around 100 feet higher!!

I was there in 1983 and saw water overtopping the spillway, the only time that has ever happened.

They are so happy down there in the rain, it's like an outdoor medley🦆

Welcome aboard! Thanks for checking it out 👍

Thank you for the support! Pinned you in the first comment until next update👍

Sure can!👍 I left it out this update to cut down on time a bit, but will add it back soon when the snowmelt starts coming down. Glad you are enjoying the channel, thank you for watching and commenting!

Glad to hear you made it out! Such is Las Vegas. Hope the trip went well otherwise👍 I know there is so much to do it's hard sometimes just getting out of town. When my folks visit from Ohio we found we had to set aside whole days for hiking / ghost towning because it turns into "well we just got tickets to this show tomorrow / we want to eat at this restaurant tonight / we want to check out this new casino" etc. Before you know it you're on the flight home! 😂 April is a good month for a bit warmer temps, but by May sometimes it can start getting pretty toasty out there already- pushing 100's. Things have been so unpredictable lately who knows what next year might look like though!

@@mojo.adventures I agree, the best weather we have had while in Vegas was actually our first time in 2018. We were there during the NFL draft so sometime towards the end of April. Stayed in the Luxor. We also went to the dam that year and fell for the picture for $35, lol. I still have it on my office wall. Speaking of hotels on the strip, we have settled into Planet Hollywood. It is centrally located and pretty cheap comparably. You are exactly right .... want to eat here, have a show, go to Pawn Stars or Count Museum.... etc. etc., and before you realize what is going on it is Monday back at work. I love the west. Nevada, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico etc., but Vegas is a lot of fun and we try to go at least once a year. Fly in on Sunday and fly out Saturday. Seems to be the cheapest if you are going to stay that long. We like to hit the road and go places for a few days. Went to San Diego/ LA, the dam, Grand Canyon and so on. We try to find somewhere new each time. I really wanted to hit those trails you told me about, but that will be next time. Look forward to your next video and enjoy conversing with you.

You nailed it... money, power, and influence. This problem could have been solved already. The government was originally giving that water to the Imperial Valley farmers for FREE trying to get agriculture booming in that area. We are simply seeing the end result of their resource planning.

I will have to look into this, thank you for commenting! 👍

Really appreciate that, glad you get it! I do dread all the editing and screen time... much rather be outdoors 🤠

Plus they didn't start the video by asking for a like (really? we haven't even seen anything to like yet) and a sub, I hate that. It always looks so desperate and pathetic. I'll match your $5 once I figure out how 😉 😊

@@KreemieNewgatt Beneath the video, to the right, 3 dots. There is a 'thanks' button. starts at 2 bucks and goes up. uses google pay.

Thank you, appreciate the feedback!👍 Yes a lot of the water (majority) is going to farming, and much of it alfalfa... both in the Imperial Valley, CA and outside of Phoenix, AZ. Many still aren't even using drip irrigation.

Of course! Appreciate you for checking out the video and leaving a comment👍

This is precisely why reservoirs were conceived and developed. The idea was to even out the offerings of Mother Nature.

Just saw over 10 feet coming to the I-80 corridor today. BUCKLE UP!

Welcome back and thanks for the tip! Do you mean a lense filter for a camera? I'm a rookie when it comes to video/photography, just using an old GoPro I had lying around. Can't afford any professional creator gear as this is a just a hobby but definitely want to learn more about getting better shots.

@@mojo.adventures Google "uv filter for gopro"

@@mojo.adventures Try googling uv filter for gopro

@@mojo.adventures Search uv filter for gopo with your favorite search engine.

From what I understand so far, the super blooms usually occur the year after the healthy water year. So yes we should indeed see some of those good super blooms this spring from all the flooding and snow of Spring 2023. I'm sure the increased activity right now isn't going to hurt at all though! We've already seen some nice blooms starting outside Pahrump and next door outside the Oatman area👍 April/May before the heat hits seems to be the best time.

@@mojo.adventures hopefully there will be alot of nature lovers showing all the desert spring blooming, maybe some baby animal life , with all new abundance of life that comes from a watered desert 🏜

Expect it in about 4-6 weeks. The Antelope Valley Poppy Preserve in the high desert here in SoCal was pretty crazy last year and likely will be again this year. There's a lake in Death Valley right now, which is crazy in itself.

Good stuff thank you for sharing👍 I think the upper basin snowpack will at least get to 100% average this year and that's all we can ask for!

You have an interesting point there, thank you for commenting!👍 I think a lot of that has to do with the entire west being accustomed to hearing for decades and decades that California provides all our produce and we have to keep the industry there propped up no matter what. Even if there is rampant cronyism happening and they drain the resources in the process. In the modern day and age, almost anything can be grown indoors in industrial growhouses. There really is no reason to concentrate so much agriculture in California anymore if they can't get a handle on their resource issues. It almost seems like a national security issue to depend on one small region to provide so much. Our food chain in the west would be crippled without California right now. Of course, a lot of this is done intentionally to prop up their "5th largest economy" status, which, when you look, is gained through a lot of subsidization and cronyism...

Regulations are a huge hurdle to farming in Eastern states. Check out what Pennsylvania is doing to the Amish farmer, Amos Miller. Meanwhile, The EU is shutting down farming in Europe, and off shoring it to newly clear cut rainforest in South America. Growing watermelons in the desert is the least stupid thing people are doing.

It might be time to determine if they want people living in the desert or crop raised there. How many people can a desert region support? How many acres of crops to be shipped from the region. Many of the crops raised there are very high value crops, some can be substituted such as olives for olive oil, high oleic sunflowers has oil that is comparable to it in many ways.

I'll tell you many folks here recall that period you were here through the start of the 90's the glory days of the valley. I imagine the base was a lot smaller too. In my grumpy old opinion the city is too crowded now. Terrible traffic and drivers, no more small town neighbourly western feel. It's more like East L.A. these days. I was assigned to Nellis for quite a while and was surprised how much land was military controlled here between Nellis, Creech, and the entire test and training range. People don't realize how big these areas of desert are and that Las Vegas is just a tiny blip in the Mojave. Thank you for your service, and for watching and commenting!

@@mojo.adventuresI spent lots of time on the ranges including Groom Lake Base that people refer to as Area 51 (never saw anything but defense contractors btw) as I was a missile tech in Area 2 and we did a lot of recoveries and drove munitions up to Indian Springs before it was revamped into Creech AFB. Better part of the center of NV is military ranges and I spent a lot of time in various parts of it.

I was at Nellis June 1976 to November 1979. We may have crossed paths.

@@robertsmith7849Good possibility. I worked mostly out of the missile shop in Area 2 but did worked munitions delivery, trailer maint in Area 2, ammo shop and bomb shop both in area 2 and a couple months in jet engine support equipment. My assigned squadron was the 57th MMS which became the 57th EMS when the POMO change came about. Lots of trips on the ranges as well in my 4 yrs there.

@@russb257 I was 474 CRS Welding Shop Hanger 173. Didn't spend much time at Area 2.

Good observations! I don't think complete removal would be a good idea either. According to Murphy's Law, I have a feeling we'd see record flooding again as soon as one of the major dams were removed. I think if any action was be taken at this point, it should only be to install a "bypass" at Glen Canyon because the high intakes have been a problem during dry years. I wouldn't be opposed to seeing Lake Powell drawn way down during drought years then, but you could say I'm bias being in Las Vegas. When I first moved here the grass removal credit was already in place, but it didn't seem like many folks were interested. As a midwest escapee myself I couldn't wait to ditch the grass and mower and reclaim my Sundays. Now I have a colorful rock garden full of locally collected minerals. Haven't looked back since!🤠

@@mojo.adventures well another thing that would help is if during rainy years they would stop running flood water out to sea and redirected it to lake mead but instead of doing that during flood years they run it out too sea what is the logic in that please correct me if i am wrong.

Thanks for stopping by the channel👍 Ohio native here but escaped a long time ago... hope you get to visit the lake sometime!

It *could* help if there was more containment around the Sierra's and central California that would store the water for the dry months. Unfortunately, they have been doing emergency releases from some of the dams there to make room for this new snowmelt. So it will be a "wash" in the end (pun intended).

Agree with you on that! Either the Imperial Valley farming has to be cut, or LA/SD needs another water source outside the Colorado. A reservoir or two around the Sierra's would help also store all the snowmelt like we are seeing now for the dry months.

@@mojo.adventures LA relies heavily on the "Central Valley Water Project" already. So water from Shasta and Oroville but that doesn't leave enough for the farms around the southern end of the Central Valley, which is why they're ending up like a dust bowl. The Sierra's isn't their solution, they need to find water south of the Grapevine. It's not just farming. Someone needs to step up and require new housing developments to be held accountable for sourcing water either at State, Local or even with the developers. Where does the water for those 1,000 new homes come from. Do you have a budget for that. LA is fairly unique in that it really doesn't have a natural source of local water but its leaching effect affects peoples lives for thousands of miles.

Thanks for commenting, I hadn't heard of that yet. Definitely not great news, but lots of heavy snow activity starting today so let's hope there's time to turn those numbers around a bit!👍

If you want the snow pack to put more water down stream to fill reservoirs then you want it to melt fast and run off. If it melts slow like you said then more of the water goes into the ground and doesn't make it to the reservoirs. So on years with little snow pack it's better to get hot fast and run it off into the reservoirs quickly

Need to canal ocean water to lake mead to a desalination plant running 24/7. Instead of sending money to Ukraine.

Problem solve

Interesting points here, thank you for commenting!👍 I never considered Hoover Dam could have been constructed taller. In many ways it seems like the Glen Canyon Dam constructed later in the 60's was an afterthought that wasn't really needed. There really wasn't much justification for it other than to generate revenue for the USBR. Getting freshwater from other sources is the key to this problem like you mentioned. If California would pursue desal or any of alternatives you listed like solar domes or low ocean fog, the water crisis in the west would be solved. But since they have such a strong hold on the historic water rights, leadership and big agriculture there seems to have no interest in pursuing progress of any sort.

@@chipcook6646 Ukraine does not stop America progressing. We still have to be the leader in the world and isolationism does not put the USA on top.

@@andrewday3206 disagree… Ukraine got enough of my tax money. I pay taxes I need this built. Ukraine can take care of itself. Ukraine does nothing for me and not my problem. We are paying for this in higher prices.

You lead the way!

@@lawrence5039 I wish, unfortunately I live under sea level. However we are going to grow a forest. A forest in the south of Europe to set an example for the future.

Most likely👍 A lot of races were right in front of Boulder Beach where all the boat wrecks were turning up last year. I've never got to see a hydroplane race out there, sounds fun!

@@mojo.adventures They're lots of fun! I'll bet that the wing of the Mr. Pringles boat is just under the dirt out there. :)

Lake mead can fll from the Mississippi river

@@user-vb8yf8be3l Water flows over the Rockies?

it can be done@@flagmichael

@user-vb8yf8be3l except the Miss. R. has had historic lows.

As of the last report (Feb 29) it is at 3562.08 ft, down from 3584.59 on July 8, and up about 65 feet from April's low.

@@flagmichael Thank you.

Newsome's not concerned with making things better... only worse.

Gavin's ideation of the problem is a loser. He is into solutions that take taxpayer money and put it into the hands of those that come up with dubious/expensive solutions from high-tech, high expense grift operations. These in turn fund his (re)election campaigns. People should start looking unto harvesting rainwater to their own land to save on water bills, reduce fire danger, downstream flooding, lessen brownouts, etc. Also buying foods from those that use rainwater harvesting methods that *include avoiding* fallow/bare ground ag practices, monocultures, overgrazing, synthetic chemical inputs, CAFOs, biome inappropriate plants, etc. We as consumers can buy better. The best systems use polycultures of biome appropriate plants and use livestock to manage fertility, weeds, culls, crop residues, pests, etc while utilizing natural runoff collected to ponds, swales, bunds, etc.

Lake Powell has 1960 miles of shoreline with enormous amounts of riparian plant and animal life. Draining it would be a monumental environmental catastrophe, but the Sierra Club has been trying to do just that for decades. Politics is an ugly thing. Of course, any such actions would have to be written into the 2027+ update to the Upper Colorado River Compact. All that water belongs to _somebody_ in a total of seven states and is vital to small and large communities; part of it belongs to Mexico. It is not ours to steal.

@@flagmichael I never considered how all this affects Mexico. I would be curious what agreements the U.S. and Mexico have for releasing water to help maintain appropriate levels in Mexico.

True and they take a lot from the Colorado river so Gavin can let it all go straight into the Pacific for.......environment? Cut California off water and energy. The earth goddess Gaia will provide.

Spot on!👍 I only hope to point out they are inextricably linked to the Colorado River with all the canals and aqueducts. Especially the Imperial Valley / LA / SD. You would think a heavy storm year would reduce the demands on the river, but usually the opposite happens... they have already been releasing more water to sea to make room. Come summer, I can guarantee we will be reading about water shortages and drought again. Thank you for watching!