Of late, there have been discussions many on this topic. In the Lake Meade ( Las Vegas and Surrounding ) area in particular, there is much discussion about the ongoing drought, including legal demands for restricted lawn watering schedules, etc.

Frankly, I'm tired of the hype, and I'd like to dispell some of the "mysteries" and false beliefs on this particular subject matter. It became aparent that this issue needs to be addressed when I visited one of my favorite sites - a supplier of freeware - and found the following chart and discussion. This allerted me that it was time to speak out on the TRUTH of the subject matter.

I'll make my initial comments/arguments here on this page:

A Bulliten Board of Comments will ensue hereafter.

I will monitor and post the comments. I will not edit any intellectual discussion of the topic matter. By intellectual, I mean that it does not require cursing and vulgar language to make a point. I also will also not allow any posts that are "advertising" in nature.

The page I borrowed this chart from read as follows:

The graphic on this page will show the Lake Mead water level until the source data data page disappears or is moved, after which I will have to revise the code responsible for drawing the graphic.

And why am I interested in monitoring this particular lake? In years past I have been able to paddle my kayak from Pearce Ferry, on the east end of Lake Meade, into the very pretty western Grand Canyon, but in the past few years (writing in 2005), the east end of the lake has dried up, making an enjoyable outing impossible until the water rises again.

Here is a picture from my archives of the area around Pearce Ferry, showing the dry land between the end of the road and the Colordo River:

View of Lake Mead and the Colorado River from Pearce Ferry, January 2004

The observant reader will notice a pattern of rapidly varying water height in the Lake Mead chart above from 1935 until the mid-1960s, after which the water level became more consistent in the short term. My theory is this smoothing was caused by the fact that Lake Powell, upstream from Lake Mead, began to fill in 1966, taking 17 years to fill completely (that would take us to 1983). It is reasonable to assume the people overseeing this filling operation took more water for Lake Powell at times of rapid flow, thus smoothing out the flow peaks and troughs that were seen in Lake Mead beforehand. Since that time I would guess that Lake Powell now absorbs the annual peaks and troughs once seen in the Lake Mead data, and acts as a buffer for Lake Mead. I would love to confirm this theory, but there seems not to be a convenient monthly water level database for Lake Powell, as there is for Lake Mead.

Now it's my turn to speak up.

Today's date is 25 June 2006.

First, let's get our terminology straight.

A DESERT is any part of the world ( one could say any area, as there Mars may be considered a desert planet ), that has a low annual rainfall. By this definition, the largest desert in the world is Antartica, for while there is much snow ( and hence water ), there is the lowest amount of annual rainfall per square mile anywhere in the world. That notwithstanding, most people consider a DESERT a place without water, and thus, vegetation.

RAINFALL is water (condensation) droplets falling from the sky, (from clouds in particular) as opposed to water flowing from a creek or water in the form of dew or fog. With this thought in mind, there is more water than rainfall, as there can be dew or fog, and it isn't considered as rainfall. There can be a river flowing through, and even a lake in the middle of a desert, but if there is no rainfall, it is still a desert by definition.

DROUGHT is a long period of time without water (not necessarily without raifnall), wherein nature begins to suffer the effects thereof (plants die, animals can't find drink, etc).

With these definitions clearly in mind, let us discuss the present "drought" in the "desert" near Lake Meade, as well as man's effect upon it.

The "Powers That Be", those who would fine and/or otherwise tax us for using water when they would have us not, have decided that there is a drought in the Lake Meade area. They base these "facts" on the present level of water in Lake Meade. The pictures are astounding, shocking, and to the uninformed, misguiding!

Look at this picture in shock and horror, look how low the water is compared to where it "should be"


See how you FEEL thinking about the terrible problem of this drought? That's because you are thinking with your heart. It's a natural first assumption, and a natural first feeling. Now, let's let the heart do what it does best ( pump blood to the brain ), and let the brain do what it does best ( think ).

When one uses logic, one can clearly derrive from this picture that the drought isn't half as bad as it seems. Why you ask? Simple - the "
bathtub ring" line of the lake doesn't show the average level of water, it shows the alltime high level, when the water was flowing over the spillways.

Spillways?

Oh, yes that, let me further explain, but first a little historical fact:

FACT: LAKE MEAD IS A MAN MADE LAKE

That's right. It didn't exist before man put it there, so ANY water in Lake Meade is a vast improvement on what "nature intended". If one looks closely at the chart above, you find that before 1936, Lake Mead had a very long, major drought. Why? Because "Lake" Mead didn't even exist. That's because "Lake" Mead was created by the building of the Hoover Dam, which wasn't finished until 1936.

FACT: The LEVEL of LAKE MEAD is DIRECTLY controlled by HUMAN BEINGS. Yes indeed! You see, there are man made dams both BEFORE and AFTER Lake Mead along the Colorado river. The amount of water allowed to pass through the spillways of these dams directly affects the amount of water in the lake! Therefore, if we close off the spillways of water LEAVING Lake Mead ( at Hoover Dam ) for even just a week, it would vastly increase the level of Lake Mead. If the definition of a "drought" in the Lake Mead area is determined by the level of Lake Mead, then we can eliminate the drought within a week's time by cutting off all downstream water flow.

FACT: HOOVER DAM MAKES ELECTRICITY FOR CALIFORNIA

One of the reasons why we don't just shut off the spigot, is because the water also runs through turbines, which provide virtually "free" electricity for our neighboring state California. (Would be nice if we could divert some of that power to Las Vegas). So the people of Las Vegas are paying fees and fines for water restrictions so the Californian's can have HBO and Street Cars?

We could, of course, also increase the intake of water by controlling upstream spillways, but then lake Havisat and other lakes would be a little lower, and their tourism would cut off (weep weep, cry cry). So the people of Las Vegas and surrounding communities pay fees and fines because the folks upstream want a pretty lake?

In both cases, the LEVEL of this MAN MADE "Lake" is used as the measuring stick of whether we are in a drought or not, and these levels are fully contolled by politicians. So the politicians have created a man made "drought" in order to extort money from the public. In reality the TRUE definition of a drought is based on annual rainfall, and the annual rainfall for this area has been RECORD BREAKING for the last few years! In fact, the LEVEL OF THE LAKE is a full 1131.14 feet ( at the time of this writing ) higher than it was in 1935, which to me indicates a FLOOD, not a drought. (Did I forget to say that there are entire TOWNS underneath this "Lake" that were flooded into extinction?)

And what does a drought in the desert look like? Well I'll tell you - it doesn't look like this:



You see - not only have we had record rainfall, but record blooms to match them. Don't believe me? Go to any site dedicated to desert blooms and you will agree - "thar be water in the desert matie!"

Now for some ASTONISHING FACTS that will blow your socks off!

Rainmaking. It is an art that has died out and given way to science. Or has it?

Man, now more than ever, lives in the environment he creates. Movement of the Missippippi river and building of major dams along big river routes have vastly affected the climates in those areas. With power machinery and a greater understanding of physics, climate, and the world around us, we need to move OUT of the dark ages, and into an enlightened arena of thought.

Xeroscaping = Hogwash!

Huh?

Let's use our noodle if we can:

Let's first ask some simple questions ( to which we know the answers ):

1) What happens when you squeeze a wet sponge?
2) Does hot air rise or fall?
3) Is a scuba diver under more pressure at 10 feet or at 1000 feet down?

Well, lemme see. 1) Water comes out. 2) Rises. 3) 1000 feet. RIGHT?

Great. Now we have some common references based on the Laws of Physics. Armed with that and common sense, let's figure out how to make it rain.

When I used to go hang gliding, I learned something. Something that you could figure out if you ever worked outside on a hot day. When I flew over pavement, blacktop, and desert lands, I would rise.... because the HOT AIR coming off these hot surfaces would cause updrafts, making me rise.

I also noted that when flying over grassy fields, lakes, forests, that I would drop. That's because it is cooler over these areas, and downward air currents caused by the COOL AIR coming off these cool surfaces would make it happen. Heat Rises, Cool Falls. Got it?
Question: If it does it to me on a kite.... what reaction do you suppose it has on water molecules in the sky (clouds)?

Next Point, what makes the water come out of the sponge? SQUEEZING it ( adding outside pressure to it ) If squeezing a sponge, compressing it, makes the water come out, what do you suppose would happen if you compressed ( condensed ) a cloud.... lemme think now..... condnsation = water = RAIN.

Finally, there's the scuba diver question. How do you pressurize a scuba diver? Easy - put more water on top of him. So how do you pressurize a cloud? PUT MORE PRESSURE ON IT by PUTTING MORE AIR on top of it.

Logical summary: If we can cause a cloud to drop, the air pressure on top of the cloud will cause it to condense more, and it will pressurize. This condensing of the water molecules in the cloud, will make it harder to see light through the air gaps, which (the air gaps) will be increasingly smaller. That's why when clouds get lower to the ground, they get darker, until finally, like a sqeezed sponge, they drop water.

So HOW do we force the clouds to drop? Easy - DECREASE the concrete, blacktop, and desert lands, and INCREASE the trees, grass, and lakes.

Plant trees, water the grass, feed the lakes with additional water. ( Anti-Xeroscaping ).

This will cause the ambient temperature of the land to drop, the cool air currents to cause the clouds to drop, the air pressure above the clouds to rise, and the rain to fall.

In Short - "IF YOU DON'T USE IT - YOU LOSE IT" applies to water. If you want water to fall on a field - plant crops in it! Will it happen overnight? Heck no. I'm not talking about seeding clouds to get an instant gratification bogus rainmaking scheme here. I'm talking the long term result of hard work and forward planning. Intelligent landscaping makes land more fruitful over a period of years.

Public officials would have us xeroscape, stonescape, or desertscape our properties in order to "conserve" water. They reduce taxes to those who remove grass and put in rock and stone. ( Which is the same as increasing taxes those with grass and trees ). In actuallity, this type of landscaping will CAUSE less rainfall, and in the end, CAUSE the DROUGHT which they say we are already in. Conservation of water doesn't fix the problem - it creates, perpetuates, and worsens it. Anyone who thinks with their brain instead of with their heart can logically figure that out.

Trick Question:
IF the politicians are pushing xeroscaping, and xeroscaping causes less rainfall, then why has there been record rainfalls?

Answer: Because Las Vegas is expanding, more people are USING more water. Bigger, more expensive houses are being built in nicer neighborhoods with grass and trees and parks for the kids to play in. Richer people are moving into these neighborhoods and are watering their lawns on days when it is illegal to, and they simply pay the fines so they can have a nice lawn. The taxes and fines don't actually stop the use of water, they just generate money for the city. More water is used, so rainfall increases.

Now why then, would public officials have us do something so counter productive? As always, follow the money and it will make perfect sense.

1) Their pockets are being lined by the conservationalists.

2) If we are taxed ( whether it be called a tax, fee, fine, or whatever ) because of our use of water in a drought, and the drought can be made worse, the taxes can be both justified and raised. If the drought is eliminated, the tax is no longer justified, and less money goes to the politicians. It's not rocket science - just economics.

In short, the drought in the Lake Mead area doesn't exist. It was invented to line the pockets of the politicians. Furthermore, the politicians have done everything in their power to create a REAL drought, so that their "panic tactics" will be justified. We the public need to address the issue with facts, and fix the problem, while it is still a political one, and before it becomes an actual environmental issue! I hope Greenpeace reads this, studies it, ponders, understands, and acts appropiately!

Otherwise - please click to visit an advertiser so they know you saw their ad!

This Course was written by Ray Dall © All Rights Reserved.
This page and all its content Copyright, Trademarks, Intellectual Properties
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And for what it's worth... this page was last updated HexDate 01-11--7D1

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