Story by Anna Skinner
A “bathtub ring” is visible at sunset during low water levels the Lake Mead reservoir due to the western drought on July 19, A storm that buried parts of Colorado in more than 3 feet of snow this week brought good news for Lake Mead.
Lake Mead in Nevada and Arizona and Lake Powell in Utah and Arizona have suffered from drought for years, and excessive water usage is slowly depleting the Colorado River faster than natural weather patterns can fill it. An above-average snowfall and excessive precipitation last spring and this winter bolstered the water levels at Lake Mead, and the recent storm further improved the region’s water outlook.