Here in Southern Nevada, we get our water from two sources.
The first and largest resource is the Colorado River, which makes up 90% of our water supply and collects in Lake Mead, traveling to our taps here in Las Vegas. The additional 10% comes from groundwater sources.
But many of us know we've been in a megadrought for several years now — so here at Channel 13, we're keeping tabs on the state of our water supply.
So, how do we get our water?
Our region's water generally comes from snowpack in the Rocky Mountains designated by the Upper Colorado Basin which acts as a storage system for the water that eventually channels into Lake Mead every season.
Right now, some good news for this area. Snowpack levels sit right around average for this time of year at 91%.
Once that snow melts, it will drain into the Colorado River and two reservoirs for storage — Lake Mead and Lake Powell — the water is then utilized by seven states here in the Southwest. Low flows could mean cuts, which officials are negotiating if the drought is to continue.
Currently, those lake levels remain low.
Lake Mead is 33% full, and Lake Powell is 35% full.
Unfortunately, we'll need several years of substantially above-normal snowpack to remedy this reservoir situation. Meanwhile, drought conditions have not improved in the Southwest.
Here's the thing, there's still time to get there as we push through the next few months, and there has been some decent accumulation in the Rockies over the last week, with more winter weather in the forecast for that area.
Persisting Drought
On top of critically low lake levels, we're looking at varying levels of intensified drought in Southern Nevada. Currently, areas surrounding Las Vegas and Laughlin are in the extreme category.
Overall, 2.2 million people are living in drought in Nevada, and we've had some exceptionally dry weather over the past few months. In fact, Las Vegas is in the midst of the 2nd longest dry stretch on record.
Watch Here: Coverage from Anchor Joe Moeller on recent snowpack trends
