We took "The Stimulus" down to Lake Mead today to test some new equipment and to take advantage of a particularly gorgeous Indian Summer day in the low nineties, crystal clear and absolutely phenomenal day to play on the water.This is near Echo Bay on Lake Mead National Recreational Area, Nevada
Craggy unstable sandstone cliffs create puzzle piece shadows along a dry creek’s run.
The story of the dropping water levels for the past 40 years is shown in the even terracing of the sides of Lake Mead’s Overton Arm not far from Echo Bay, Nevada. I think the layers carved through the last half century are amazing terraces in time.
The white stripe on the shoreline of Lake Mead’s Overton Arm not far from Echo Bay shows the high water mark when the lake was full.
Water is the lifeblood of the western United States. Not only does it sustain municipal drinking supplies and agriculture, it is also one of the primary sources of electricity. Dams along the Colorado and other rivers provide the steady water supply needed for large populations and agriculture as well as the electricity needed for industry. Perhaps the greatest symbol of water use in the west is the Hoover Dam and the massive reservoir it creates, Lake Mead. The lake is “down” more than 100 feet, but the fluctuations over the lake's 70 year history reflect not only human use of the water, but also natural droughts (the most severe being in 1950’s) and “extreme" drought status for the past several years is responsible for this 100+ drop from the high water mark you see so clearly along the shore.
Here DH looks at a small chart of the Overton Arm of Lake Mead
