Lake Mead

On the way to Sedona I stopped at Lake Mead and Hoover Dam.  The water level at Lake Mead is tangible evidence of the effect of the 15-year drought on water resources in the southwest.  The terraced benches in this photo show the shoreline elevations of Lake Mead at different times.  At one time, all of this was underwater!

Here is a shot of the same area showing the current water level.  The terraces from the previous photo are in the right background.

This image shows the "bathtub ring" around Lake Mead that marks the high water level from 1983.  The water is about 158 feet below that now.

In this image, where the pavement ends is pretty much where the marina used to be during times of higher water levels.  The marina has had to be moved about 1000 feet to keep up with the retreating shoreline.

Here is another photo of the "bathtub ring" right at Hoover Dam.

Hoover Dam is still an impressive structure!!!  It's 726 feet from base to crest.

These are the 8 generators in the powerhouse on the Nevada side.  The combined power of the 17 generators from both sides is about 3 million horsepower.  The rated capacity of the powerplant is 2080 megawatts.

This is a photo of one of the four water intake towers that send water flow through the dam to the powerhouse.  When the lake is full, the water level is just below the concrete walkway that connects the intakes with the main dam structure.

Arrived in Sedona AZ just in time to catch the setting sun lighting up the rocks!