http://www.blabber.buzz/blab/pop/1028527-extreme-heat-is-drying-up-drinking-water-in-west-coast?utm_source=c-alrt&;utm_medium=c-alrt-email&utm_term=c-alrt-Yahoo&utm_content=681ajDFujQC3-HoOhSHkv-1kf6xg52_YvCoFtyNXJh7M.A
Extreme Heat Is Drying Up Drinking Water In West Coast
Reservoir levels are dropping throughout the West, as the drought tightens its grip on the area and strong summer heat further stresses both water supply and the encompassing landscape. Many reservoirs are at or approaching historic low levels due to lackluster rainy seasons combined with rising temperatures due to climate change.
The drought emergency is perhaps most apparent in the Colorado River basin, which marked one of its driest years on record, after two decades of less-than-adequate flows. The country's biggest reservoir, Lake Mead near Las Vegas, is at its lowest level since the lake was filled after the construction of the Hoover Dam in the 1930s; it now sits at 1,069 feet above sea level, or 35% of its entire capacity. It provides water to Arizona, Nevada, California, and Mexico.
Further upstream, Lake Powell, which supplies Lake Mead, is at just 34% of its entire capacity.
By next spring, Lake Powell is predicted to hit its lowest level since it was filled in 1964, potentially jeopardizing its ability to produce power.
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