Megadrought causes perilously low water levels at Lake Mead

[blue-wave]

The megadrought currently choking the western United States is the worst drought in the region in more than 1,000 years. It's having an enormous impact across many states and on several major reservoirs including Lake Mead, a water source for millions of people in the West. Alex Hager, who covers the Colorado River Basin for Northern Colorado Public Radio, joins Geoff Bennett to discuss.

[Martin68]

1. Excellent story. I'm afraid this is not on the radar of Americans who don't live where this

is happening. We are getting more and more divided by culture, location, and economic status. The U.S. will cease to exist if we don't start taking care of each other again. Republicans are down to "My State First," "U.S.A is #1," and "fuck everybody else," in that order. Actually, it may be that "fuck liberals" comes before anything else these days, because they don't have a clue about their own country or the rest of the world.

[blue-wave]

2. "The U.S. will cease to exist if we don't start taking care of each other again."

Absolutely spot on. We are too divided today. It's time for every American to wake up to this fact and take a look in their mirror.

[Warpy]

3. There is only one surface water lake in NM

It's where the Rio Grande was dammed as a way to control flooding and insure deeded water to both our farmers and Texas downstream. It was a 13.3% capacity a month ago. It's below that now. Evem if they drain it down to sand, there won't be enough water for agriculture.

Things are tough all across the west, but the southwest is especially hard hit.

[YoshidaYui]

4. I wonder if there is a way to turn

ocean water into fresh water, enough to handle this drought?

[keep_left]

6. I doubt it--not without massive public works projects...

...to which so many politicians are now allergic. Even if such a thing could be funded, it would take ages to accomplish. Desalinating that much seawater also has its own problems, including pollution and intensive energy use. Not that such a project is a bad idea; it probably is needed. But it won't arrive in time to bail out the western states.

[Chainfire]

5. Yet, the right steadfastly claims that climate change is just "liberal science."

It is all a big scam to hurt business because we hate freedom.