Excess rain and snow has no impact on Lake Mead

We’ve seen more rain and snow in the past few months than many locals can remember in a long time.
Published: Mar. 23, 2023 at 4:57 PM PDT

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - We’ve seen more rain and snow in the past few months than many locals can remember in a long time. While the rain and snow impact positively, it doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with Lake Mead.

The lake’s water level has been declining in the past two decades partly due to climate change and has dropped 170 feet.

It’s also directly correlated with the snowpack on the Rocky Mountains and the Colorado River.

However, the heavy precipitation helps with irrigation and water-saving efforts for residents and businesses here.

With more rain, there’s less of a need to turn on our irrigation system which in turn can save millions of gallons of water.

With the efforts that have been in place, like covering your pools and using smart irrigation systems that Nevada residents have used, we’ve been able to make a significant impact on saving water.

Bronson Mack at the Southern Nevada water authority says simply any extra snow or rain is overall a good thing.

“We’re able to save millions of gallons of water simply by turning off those irrigation systems when we get precipitation, we have seen outstanding snowpack in the Sheep Mountain, Mt. Charleston, and that’s really beneficial for our groundwater system that water will melt percolate down underground and help recharge our aquafer,” said Mack.

Bronson says those aquifers and groundwater supplies are what provide municipal water to residents and businesses.

So far, he says we have more than a year of supply of water stores reserved in the aquifer for future use.