Lake Mead Is Shrinking, NASA Satellite Images Show
New NASA images taken from the agency's satellite showed the current situation of Lake Mead, featuring a shocking drop in water level in the reservoir.
According to The Guardian, the photo from NASA showed a view of how the water level in Lake Mead changed over the past 22 years.
FOX 61 reported that the photos were taken by NASA's geographical monitoring satellites, known as Landsat 7 ad Landsat 8.
Three NASA images were shared on Thursday, including the first one that was taken in July 2000. The third one was reportedly taken on July 3, 2022.
The first photo showed a healthy water basin near the Overton Arm of the reservoir. However, the latest photo showed a massive decline in Lake Mead's water, revealing some parts of land that were previously submerged by water.
The northern portion of the lake, including the Virgin River, also appeared to be completely dried up.
According to NASA, the water levels of Lake Mead are currently at their lowest point since it was filled in 1937. As of July 18, it stands at just 27% of its capacity.
Lake Mead: Bodies Found as Water in the Reservoir Diminishes
As the water from Lake Mead decreases, several bodies were found in the reservoir that supplies water to roughly 25 million people in the West.
On May 9, the National Park Service reported that a witness found skeletal human remains in the Calville Bay Area of Lake Mead. No further details were mentioned after the remains' discovery.
On a separate occasion, National Park Service rangers also found a barrel with skeletal remains in an area near Hemenway Harbor on May 1.
Boaters were reportedly docking their vehicle when they heard a scream from a woman. They then saw the body with a belt visible inside a barrel that was lodged in the mud.
Lt. Ray Spencer previously claimed that the remains belonged to a man who was likely shot and killed sometime between the mid-70s and the early 80s. The timeline released by the officer was based on the shoes worn by the remains.
Aside from skeletal remains, reports also noted that a World War II-era boat was also pulled out from Lake Mead earlier in July.
Lake Mead
Lake Mead is known to be a reservoir of Hoover Dam and one of the largest man-made lakes in the world.
The said body of water is located on the Arizona-Nevada border, 25 miles east of Las Vegas. The water from Lake Mead is known to come from the Colorado River. The entire system is now at 35%.
According to Britannica, extended drought and increasing water demand brought by population growth caused an unprecedented decrease in lake levels.
With the main reservoirs along the Colorado River reaching low levels, the federal government called on states that rely on the basin to impose measures to cut water use.
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Written By: Joshua Summers
WATCH: NASA Releases New Lake Mead Satellite Images, Shows Dramatic Water Loss Since 2000 - From 8 News NOW Las Vegas