Lake Mead facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lake Mead |
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Satellite imagery from Landsat 8 of Lake Mead in July 2022 during the 2020–23 North American drought
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 Lake Mead
Location in Nevada
Lake Mead
Location in the United States
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| Location | Clark County, Nevada and Mohave County, Arizona |
| Coordinates | 36°15′N 114°23′W / 36.25°N 114.39°W |
| Lake type | Reservoir |
| Primary inflows | Colorado River |
| Primary outflows | Colorado River |
| Basin countries | United States |
| First flooded | September 30, 1935 by the Hoover Dam |
| Max. length | 120 mi (190 km) |
| Surface area | 247 sq mi (640 km2) |
| Max. depth | 532 ft (162 m) |
| Water volume | Maximum: 26,134,000 acre⋅ft (32.236 km3) |
| Shore length1 | 759 mi (1,221 km) |
| Surface elevation | Maximum: 1,229 ft (375 m) |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Lake Mead is a huge man-made lake, also called a reservoir. It was created by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River in the southwestern part of the United States. This important lake is located in the states of Nevada and Arizona, about 24 mi (39 km) east of Las Vegas.
Lake Mead is the largest reservoir in the US when it's full of water. It supplies water to millions of people in Arizona, California, Nevada, and even parts of Mexico. This water helps nearly 20 million people and supports large areas of farmland.
When Lake Mead is at its fullest, it stretches 112 miles (180 km) long. It can be as deep as 532 feet (162 m). The surface of the lake is then 1,229 feet (375 m) above sea level, covering an area of 247 square miles (640 km2). At this size, it holds a massive 28.23 million acre-feet (34.82 km3) of water.
However, since 1983, the lake has not been completely full. This is because of long periods of drought and a growing demand for water. For example, on May 31, 2022, Lake Mead was only about 26% full. Its water level dropped to a new low in June 2021 and has stayed low.
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History of Lake Mead
Long ago, the area where Lake Mead now sits was home to Native American groups known as Ancestral Puebloans. When Lake Mead was created, many old archaeological sites were covered by water. One famous site, called the "Lost City," was submerged.
The lake was named after Elwood Mead. He was in charge of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation from 1924 to 1936. This was during the time when the Boulder Canyon Project was planned and built. This project led to the creation of the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead.
Lake Mead first became a protected area in 1936, called the Boulder Dam Recreation Area. The National Park Service managed it. In 1947, its name changed to the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Later, Lake Mohave and the Shivwits Plateau were added to its care. Both lakes and the land around them offer fun activities all year round.
When the Hoover Dam was built, the rising water forced people to leave their homes. One notable town was St. Thomas, Nevada. The last person left St. Thomas in 1938. Today, if the water level in Lake Mead is very low, you can see the ruins of St. Thomas by dirt road and hiking trail. Lake Mead also covered other places like Callville, Rioville, Nevada, and Bonelli's Ferry. Six years after the dam was finished, the lake filled up to an elevation of 1200 feet.
When the water levels are low, you can often see a white line on the rocks along the shoreline. This white line shows where the water used to be much higher. It's caused by minerals left behind on the surfaces that were once underwater.
Geography and Features
There are nine main ways to get to Lake Mead. On the west side, three roads lead from the Las Vegas metropolitan area. From the northwest, you can reach the Overton Arm of the lake through Valley of Fire State Park and the Moapa River Indian Reservation.
Lake Mead is made up of several connected parts. The largest part, closest to the Hoover Dam, is called Boulder Basin. A narrow channel, once known as Boulder Canyon, now called The Narrows, connects Boulder Basin to Virgin Basin in the east. The Virgin River and Muddy River flow into the Overton Arm, which connects to the northern part of the Virgin Basin. Further east are Temple Basin and Gregg Basin, linked by the Virgin Canyon.
When the lake's water levels are high, areas upstream from Gregg Basin also get flooded. These include Grand Wash Bay, Pearce Ferry Bay, and about 55 miles (89 km) of the Colorado River within the lower Grand Canyon. Also, two smaller basins, the Muddy River Inlet and the Virgin River Basin, fill up when the lake is high enough. However, these basins have been dry since February 2015.
Sharp, rugged mountain ranges surround the lake, creating beautiful views, especially at sunset. Near Boulder Basin, you can see the River Mountains and the Muddy Mountains. Bonelli Peak is located east of the Virgin Basin.
Las Vegas Bay is where the Las Vegas Wash ends. This wash is the only outflow from the Las Vegas Valley.
Drought and Water Challenges
Most of Lake Mead's water comes from melting snow in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah. The amount of water flowing into Lake Mead is mostly controlled by the Glen Canyon Dam upstream. This dam is required to release about 8.23 million acre-feet (10,150,000 Ml) of water to Lake Mead each year. However, the Hoover Dam usually releases more than 9 million acre-feet (11,000,000 Ml) of water each year. This difference has caused Lake Mead's water levels to drop since 2000.
Water leaving Lake Mead, including evaporation and water sent to Arizona, California, Nevada, and Mexico, is usually around 9.5 to 9.7 million acre-feet (11,700,000 to 12,000,000 megaliters). This means the lake loses about 1.2 million acre-feet (1,500,000 ML) more water than it gains each year.
Before Lake Powell (another large reservoir) was filled behind Glen Canyon Dam, the Colorado River flowed mostly freely into Lake Mead. This made Lake Mead more sensitive to droughts. For example, from 1953 to 1956, the water level dropped significantly. During the filling of Lake Powell from 1963 to 1965, Lake Mead's level also fell. However, many wet years from the 1970s to the 1990s filled both lakes to their full capacity. Lake Mead reached a record high of 1,225 feet (373 m) in the summer of 1983.
In the decades before 2000, Glen Canyon Dam often released more water than required to Lake Mead. This helped Lake Mead stay full even though it was sending out a lot of water. But since 2000, the Colorado River basin has faced a severe southwestern North American megadrought. In the first 16 years of the 21st century, only five years had average or above-average rainfall. This period (2000-2015) had the least water available in the last 60 years.
Even though Glen Canyon Dam met its required water release until 2014, Lake Mead's water level has steadily gone down. This is because the extra water that used to make up for the annual water loss is no longer there.
In June 2010, the lake was only 39% full. By November 30, 2010, it reached a new record low for that month. From mid-May 2011 to January 22, 2012, Lake Mead's water level went up. This happened because heavy snowmelt in the Rocky Mountains led to an extra 3.3 million acre-feet (4,100,000 ML) of water being released from Glen Canyon into Lake Mead.
In 2012 and 2013, the Colorado River basin had its worst two years for water on record. This led to a very low release from Glen Canyon in 2014. It was the lowest release since 1963. This was done to help Lake Powell, which had fallen to less than 40% capacity. As a result, Lake Mead's level dropped a lot, reaching new record lows in 2014, 2015, and 2016.
On July 10, 2014, it hit a record low of 1,081.82 feet (329.74 m). On June 26, 2015, Lake Mead reached another new record low of 1,074.71 feet (327.57 m). This was the first time it had been so low since it was filled. If the lake level is below 1,075 feet (328 m) at the start of the water year (October 1), water restrictions are put in place for Arizona and Nevada.
Lake Mead's water level rose a few feet by October 2015, avoiding the drought restrictions. However, it started falling again in Spring 2016 and went below the 1,075 feet (328 m) drought trigger level in May 2016. It reached a new record low of 1,071.60 feet (326.62 m) on July 1, 2016. Luckily, it slowly started to rise again. Drought restrictions were avoided once more when the lake level went above 1,075 feet (328 m) on September 28, 2016, just three days before the deadline.
In 2017, the lake levels rose because of heavier than normal snowfall in the Rocky Mountains. This large snowmelt brought the lake back to its 2015 levels. The lowest point in 2017 was still safely above the drought trigger. However, this level was still 36 feet (11 m) lower than the lowest point in 2012, and the lake was expected to start falling again in 2018.
Despite predictions of a shortage by 2020, heavy snow in the Upper Colorado River basin in April 2019 helped. This led to more water flowing into Lake Powell, which then helped Lake Mead reach 1,090.20 feet (332.29 m). In December 2019, Lake Mead's water level reached 1,090.47 feet (332.38 m), about ten feet (three meters) higher than expected. By April 2020, the water level was 1,096.39 feet (334.18 m), again thanks to good mountain snowpack.
From 2018 to early 2021, Lake Mead's water levels stayed above the 1,075-foot (328 m) level that would cause a water shortage declaration. However, by mid-2021, its level dropped below this trigger. The Bureau of Reclamation declared a water shortage in August 2021. On July 28, 2022, the level was 1,040.58 feet (317.17 m), the lowest since 1937 when the reservoir was first filled. The lake has risen a bit since its lowest point in 2022, but it is still below the drought threshold as of June 2024.
Because of the dropping water level, some marinas and boat launch ramps have had to move or close. The Las Vegas Bay Marina moved in 2002, and the Lake Mead Marina moved in 2008. Overton Marina and Echo Bay Marina have closed because the water levels in the northern part of the Overton Arm are too low. Some boat ramps have also closed. However, several marinas and launch ramps remain open, including Las Vegas Boat Harbor, Lake Mead Marina, Callville Bay Marina, Temple Bar Marina, Boulder Launch Area, and the South Cove launch ramp.
Changes in rainfall, climate, high evaporation, less snowmelt, and current water use are putting stress on Lake Mead. More and more people rely on it for water and on the Hoover Dam for electricity. To help with this, Hoover Dam was updated in 2015 and 2016. New turbines were installed that can generate electricity even when the water level is lower. This means the dam can still make power if the lake drops from 1,050 feet (320 m) to 950 feet (290 m).
If water levels keep falling, Hoover Dam would stop making electricity if the water goes below 950 feet (290 m). The lake would then stabilize at 895 feet (273 m), which is the level of the dam's lowest water outlet. To make sure Las Vegas can always get drinking water from Lake Mead, a new water intake tunnel was built. This tunnel cost nearly $1.5 billion and is located in the middle of the lake at an elevation of 860 feet (260 m). The 3-mile (4.8 km) tunnel took seven years to build under the lake and started working in late 2015.
In 2016, it was estimated that about 6% of Lake Mead's water evaporates each year. Scientists have looked into covering parts of Lake Mead with floating solar panels. Covering just 6% of the lake could generate as much electricity as Hoover Dam. It could also reduce water loss from evaporation in those covered areas by up to 90%. A 2021 estimate suggested that covering 10% of the lake's surface with special floating solar panels could save enough water and create enough electricity to power both Las Vegas and Reno.
In December 2021, with Lake Mead at 35% capacity, Arizona, California, Nevada, and the U.S. Department of the Interior agreed to spend $200 million in 2022 and 2023. This money would help water users who voluntarily use less water or make improvements to save water. This "500+ Plan" aims to keep an extra 500,000 acre-feet (620,000,000 m3) of water in the reservoir. An agreement was also made with the Gila River Indian Community and the Colorado River Indian Tribes. This is expected to save about 11 vertical feet of water in the reservoir.
Discoveries from Low Water Levels
When severe drought causes the lake level to drop, it reveals things that were once underwater. This gives scientists a chance to study old Native American homes that were previously hidden. Sometimes, human remains are also found. When this happens, forensic scientists are called in to study them. They try to figure out who the person was, how they died, and how their body ended up in the lake. The 2020–2023 North American drought has led to several such discoveries.
Fun and Recreation
Lake Mead offers many fun activities for people who live nearby and for visitors. These include boating, fishing, swimming, sunbathing, and water skiing. There are four marinas on Lake Mead: Las Vegas Boat Harbor and Lake Mead Marina (in Hemenway Harbor, NV), and Callville Bay (in Callville Bay, NV) and Temple Bar (in Arizona). The area has many small coves with rocky cliffs and sandy beaches.
The lake has several small to medium-sized islands, depending on the water level. The Alan Bible Visitor Center has the Alan Bible Botanical Garden. This is a small garden with cactus and other plants that grow naturally in the Mojave Desert. The Grand Wash is a recreational area on the north side of the lake.
On October 28, 1971, Lake Mead hosted the first ever B.A.S.S Bassmaster Classic. This fishing competition was held at a "mystery lake," and the 24 anglers didn't know where they were going until their plane was in the air. Bobby Murray of Arkansas won the $10,000 prize.
The Desert Princess is a three-level paddle wheel boat that takes passengers on cruises to the Hoover Dam five days a week. It can carry 275 people.
B-29 Plane Crash
At the bottom of Lake Mead lies a Boeing B-29 Superfortress airplane. It crashed in 1948 while being used to test a new missile guidance system.
The wreckage of at least two smaller airplanes are also submerged in Lake Mead.
Lake Mead in Pop Culture
Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam have appeared in books and video games.
- The 2018 novel Lords of St. Thomas, by Jackson Ellis, tells the story of the last family to leave the town of St. Thomas in 1938. This happened after the Hoover Dam was built and Lake Mead was created.
- Lake Mead, the Hoover Dam, and the crashed B-29 plane are important parts of the setting in the video game Fallout: New Vegas.
Images for kids
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Satellite imagery from Landsat 8 of Lake Mead in July 2022 during the 2020–23 North American drought
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Elwood Mead, who the lake is named after.
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Aerial view of Lake Mead in August 2010.
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Lake Mead from space in November 1985. North is facing downward to the right. The Colorado River can be seen leading southward away from the lake on the top left. The Hoover Dam is located where the river meets the lake.
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Sediment-laden water from the Colorado River flowing into Lake Mead in March 2013.
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Lake Mead in October 2021, as seen from the Hoover Dam. The white band shows the high water level from the past.
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A comparison of Lake Mead water levels from July 2000 to July 2015.
See also
In Spanish: Lago Mead para niños
