The Virgin River and Muddy River empty into the Overton Arm, which is connected to the northern part of the Virgin Basin. The narrow channel, which was once known as Boulder Canyon and is now known as The Narrows, connects Boulder Basin to Virgin Basin to the east. The large body closest to the Hoover Dam is Boulder Basin. Access from the north-west from Interstate 15 is through the Valley of Fire State Park and the Moapa River Indian Reservation to the Overton Arm of the lake. On the west are three roads from the Las Vegas metropolitan area. Nine main access points to the lake are available. Sediment-laden water from the Colorado River flowing into Lake Mead in March 2013. The bathtub ring is white because of the deposition of minerals on previously submerged surfaces. Lake Mead also covered the sites of the Colorado River landings of Callville and Rioville, Nevada, and the river crossing of Bonelli's Ferry, between Arizona and Nevada.Īt lower water levels, a high-water mark, or "bathtub ring", is visible in photos that show the shoreline of Lake Mead. Thomas are currently visible (as of May 23, 2022) via dirt road and hiking trail, due to Lake Mead's low water level. Thomas, Nevada, the last resident of which left the town in 1938. The accumulated water from Hoover Dam forced the evacuation of several communities, most notably St. Both lakes and the surrounding area offer year-round recreation options. The name was changed to the Lake Mead National Recreation Area in 1947, and Lake Mohave and the Shivwits Plateau were later added to its jurisdiction. Lake Mead was established as the Boulder Dam Recreation Area in 1936, administered by the National Park Service. Lloyd Joseph Hudlow, an engineer with the Bureau of Reclamation, came to Boulder City in March 1933 to assist in the survey, and ended up as the project manager. Bureau of Reclamation from 1924 to 1936, during the planning and construction of the Boulder Canyon Project that created the dam and lake. The lake was named after Elwood Mead who was the commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, a "Shortage Condition" is expected to be declared for 2022, due to the lake level falling below 1,075 feet (327.7 m), which will result in a projected 4.44% curtailment in downstream water delivery. In a draft 2022 Colorado River annual operating plan, released by the U.S.
Flow free bridges 12x12 level 35 full#
As of May 31, 2022, Lake Mead held 26.63% of full capacity at 7.517 million acre-feet (9,272,000 megaliters), dropping below the reservoir's previous all-time low of 9.328 million acre-feet (11,506,000 megaliters) recorded in July 2016. The lake has remained below full capacity since 1983 owing to drought and increased water demand.
Īt maximum capacity, Lake Mead is 112 miles (180 km) long, 532 feet (162 m) at its greatest depth, has a surface elevation of 1,229 feet (375 m) above sea level, has a surface area of 247 square miles (640 km 2), and contains 28.23 million acre-feet (34,820,000 megaliters) of water. Lake Mead provides water to the states of Arizona, California, and Nevada as well as some of Mexico, providing sustenance to nearly 20 million people and large areas of farmland.
It is the largest reservoir in the US in terms of water capacity. It is located in the states of Nevada and Arizona, 24 mi (39 km) east of Las Vegas. Lake Mead is a reservoir formed by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River in the Southwestern United States. Maximum: 26,134,000 acre⋅ft (32.236 km 3)ġ Shore length is not a well-defined measure. September 30, 1935 86 years ago ( ) by the Hoover Dam