Скачать или смотреть What Lake Mead Needs To Get Water Levels Back Up at Drought-Hit Reservoir

Lake Mead will need more than just rainfall to replenish itself, an expert has told Newsweek.

Spread between Nevada and Arizona—Lake Mead, the largest man-made reservoir in the U.S.—is best known for its rapidly declining water levels due to the ongoing megadrought gripping the western states.

The lake is integral to surrounding communities, as it is also formed by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River—which generates electricity for thousands of people. If the water levels continue to decline, the consequences could be catastrophic.

Water levels at the lake have risen slightly thanks to heavy rainfall sweeping across the region.

But even this will not completely counterbalance the drought-stricken reservoir.Jennifer Pitt, Colorado River program director with the National Audubon Society, an environmental organization.

The vast majority of water in the Colorado River is created by snowfall in the mountains of Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico. To refill the Colorado River reservoirs, you would need three average years of snowfall without any water use.

"The reservoir uses both rainfall and winter snowpack to replenish its water levels. With the ongoing drought, these weather patterns are becoming more unpredictable and the lake isn't filling up as much as it once did.

During dry conditions, people also use more water, meaning that it is emptying faster than it can replenish itself.Many scientists believe urgent policy changes in the region are needed in order to change this.

"There's been a good start to the snowfall season, but it is way too early to know what runoff will look like," Pitt said. "Today the water uses allowed by law are more than the river gets in an average year, so until the rules are changed it is unlikely the reservoirs will fill."