Green Options

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Some disturbing news came out this week about the future of Lake Mead, a man-made lake on the Arizona-Nevada border created by the Hoover Dam. According to researchers, there is a 50% chance that the lake will be dry by 2021, unless we take action now. Even scarier? The 10% chance that this catastrophe will occur within 6 years. OK, I’m officially freaked out.

Why is Lake Mead’s survival so crucial? Courtesy of melting snowpack feeding the Colorado River, the lake supplies 90% of Las Vegas’ water. Yes, you read that correctly: 90%. The Colorado system also meets much of the demand in the rest of the Southwest, including Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix and Tucson. Without this source, the current drought experienced in this region will become exponentially worse.

Lake Mead has a 50-50 chance of becoming a dry lake bed by 2021, according to new research from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography/UC San Diego.

Marine physicist Tim Barnett and climate scientist David Pierce reached that conclusion after analyzing the region’s current and planned water usage and taking into account the ongoing impact of climate change.

Furthermore, they acknowledge their projections are based on conservative estimates … meaning [...]