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Mead

, Lake

A reservoir of southeast Nevada and northwest Arizona formed by Hoover Dam on the Colorado River. It is the center of a large recreational area.

 

 
 

Reservoir of the Hoover Dam, on the Arizona-Nevada border in the U.S. One of the largest man-made lakes in the world, it was formed by the damming of the Colorado River. Lake Mead is 115 mi (185 km) long and 1 – 10 mi (1.6 – 16 km) wide; it has a capacity of over 31 million acre ft (38 billion cubic m), with a surface area of 229 sq mi (593 sq km). It was named after Elwood Mead, commissioner of reclamation. Lake Mead National Recreation Area (established 1936) has an area of 2,338 sq mi (6,055 sq km) and extends 240 mi (386 km) along the river.

For more information on Lake Mead, visit Britannica.com.

 
247 sq mi (640 sq km), on the Nev.-Ariz. border, formed by Hoover Dam across the Colorado River. The lake is 115 mi (185 km) long, from 1 to 8 mi (1.6–12.9 km) wide, and 589 ft (180 m) at its maximum depth; it has one of the largest-capacity reservoirs in the United States. Lake Mead, with its 550 mi (885 km) shoreline, is the focal point of Lake Mead National Recreation Area. See National Parks and Monuments (table).


 
Wikipedia: Lake Mead
Lake Mead
Lake Mead -
Location Nevada and Arizona
Coordinates 36°03′35″N, 114°46′35″WCoordinates: 36°03′35″N, 114°46′35″W
Lake type reservoir
Primary sources Colorado River
Primary outflows Colorado River
Basin countries United States
Max length 110 mi (180 km)
Surface area 247 mi² (640 km²)
Water volume 35.2 km³
Shore length1 550 mi (885 km)
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Lake Mead is the largest man-made lake and reservoir in the United States. It is located on the Colorado River about 30 miles (48 km) southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, in the states of Nevada and Arizona. Formed by water impounded by Hoover Dam, it extends 110 mi (180 km) behind the dam, holding approximately 28.5 million acre feet (35 km³) of water. The water held in Lake Mead is released to communities in southern California,[citation needed] via aqueducts, and Nevada.

History

The lake was named after Elwood Mead, who was commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation from 1924 to 1936 during the planning and construction of the Boulder Canyon Project that created the dam and lake. The Lake Mead National Recreation Area was established in 1964 and offers year-round recreation options. The accumulated water from Hoover Dam forced the evacuation of several communities, most notably St. Thomas, Nevada, whose last resident left the town in 1938. The ruins of St. Thomas are sometimes visible when the water level in Lake Mead drops below normal.

Lake Mead as seen from the Hoover Dam clearly showing the bathtub ring
Enlarge
Lake Mead as seen from the Hoover Dam clearly showing the bathtub ring

The 1983 high-water mark or "bathtub ring" is visible in many photos that show the shoreline of Lake Mead. Much of the vegetation, which was killed, has not recovered from the unusually high precipitation that the Western United States received in that 1982-1983 season as a result of an El Niño event. The bathtub ring is white because of the deposition of minerals on previously submerged surfaces.

Drought

In September 2007, the lake was at 49 percent of its capacity, threatening to make the Las Vegas valley's primary raw water intake inoperable.[1] Arrangements are underway to pipe water from elsewhere in Nevada by 2011, but since the primary raw water intake at Lake Mead could become inoperable as soon as 2010 based on current drought and user projections, this would not be soon enough to spell potential disaster for Las Vegas.[1]

Geography

Access from the northwest from Interstate 15 is through Valley of Fire State Park and the Moapa River Indian Reservation.

The lake is divided into several bodies. The large body closest to Hoover Dam is Boulder Basin. The narrow channel, known as The Narrows, connects Boulder Basin to Virgin Basin to the west. The Virgin River and Muddy River empty into Overton Arm, which is connected to the northern part of the Virgin Basin. The next basin to the west is Temple Basin, and following that is Gregg Basin.

Recreation

Lake Mead from space, November 1985. This view is rotated, with north facing downward and to the right. The Colorado River can be seen leading southward away from the lake in the top left, and the Hoover Dam is located at the point where the river meets the lake.
Enlarge
Lake Mead from space, November 1985. This view is rotated, with north facing downward and to the right. The Colorado River can be seen leading southward away from the lake in the top left, and the Hoover Dam is located at the point where the river meets the lake.

Lake Mead offers many types of recreation to locals and visitors. Boating is the most popular. Additional activities include fishing, water skiing, swimming, and relaxing in the sun. The area also has many coves with rocky cliffs and sandy beaches to explore. There are several small to medium-sized islands in the lake area depending on the water level. In addition, the Alan Bible Botanical Garden is a small botanical garden.

At the bottom of the lake is a B-29 Superfortress that crashed while performing secret experiments. It has been acknowledged that one of the then classified instruments on board used to take atmosphere measurements was called "Suntracker".

Statistics

  • Water volume: approximately 46 billion yd³ (35.2 km³), or 28.5 million acre feet (35 km³); nearly two years of average Colorado River flow; largest man-made reservoir in the U.S.
    • This is enough water to cover the entire state of Pennsylvania in one foot depth of water.
  • Visitors: 8 – 10 million per year (Lake Mead National Recreation Area)
    • Fifth most visited park in the National Park Service system.

External links

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References

  1. ^ a b Tony Illia (2007). Rural groundwater pipeline project presses ahead. Las Vegas Business Press. Retrieved on 2007-10-07.

 
 

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Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Lake Mead" Read more

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