Driest U.S. City Makes Backup Plans
By Sara Jerome,
@sarmje
Las Vegas, the driest city in the U.S., has bigger — and pricier — water resource challenges than most other cities.
The city has taken special precautions to ensure it will continue to have access to water in Lake Mead, from which it gets 90 percent of its supply. The seven-year project had a budget of $817 million.
"In early December, about 300 feet below the surface of Lake Mead, engineers drilled upward to complete the last major step in the construction of an enormous, three-mile tunnel. The tunnel now reaches the lake," Fortune reported.
The pipeline is intended to protect the city's water supply even though lake levels have dwindled in recent years.
"[Lake Mead] has been dropping since 2012, according to U.S. Bureau of Reclamation data, as much of the western U.S. has suffered the most serious drought in decades. The shortfall is endangering water supplies to the residents and 43 million annual visitors to the driest metropolitan area in the country," Bloomberg reported.
When the pipeline is operational, Las Vegas will be less endangered by dropping lake levels. A new pumping station must be completed, as well.
"The pipeline will be able to draw from the lake even if water levels fall below the existing intake pipes (it’s getting close), keeping the faucets running in the drought-plagued region even after current ducts are left sucking air," Fortune reported.
For more information on water scarcity, visit Water Online's Water Scarcity Solution Center.