Mead

 

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).

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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.

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 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

• Lake Mead National Recreation Area - National Park Service
• Arizona lakes water level report
• Lake Mead water levels graph Historical and current water levels in Lake Mead

References

Colorado River system
Dams and aqueducts (see US Bureau of Reclamation)	Shadow Mountain Dam • Granby Dam • Glen Canyon Dam • Hoover Dam • Davis Dam • Parker Dam • Palo Verde Diversion Dam • Imperial Dam • Laguna Dam • Morelos Dam • Colorado River Aqueduct • San Diego Aqueduct • Central Arizona Project Aqueduct • All-American Canal • Coachella Canal • Redwall Dam
Natural features	Colorado River • Rocky Mountains • Colorado River Basin • Grand Lake • Sonoran desert • Mojave desert • Imperial Valley • Colorado Plateau • Grand Canyon • Black Canyon • Glen Canyon • Marble Canyon • New River • Paria Canyon • Gulf of California/Sea of Cortez • Salton Sea
Tributaries	Dirty Devil River • Dolores River • Escalante River • Gila River • Green River • Gunnison River • Kanab Creek • Little Colorado River • Paria River • San Juan River • Virgin River
Major reservoirs	Fontenelle Reservoir • Flaming Gorge Reservoir • Taylor Park Reservoir • Navajo Reservoir • Lake Powell • Lake Mead • Lake Mohave • Lake Havasu
Dependent states	Arizona • California • Colorado • Nevada • New Mexico • Utah (See: Colorado River Compact)
Designated areas	Glen Canyon National Recreation Area • Lake Mead National Recreation Area

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