Record drought
Lake Mead found a fourth body
The American Southwest is also drier than ever. A fourth body has now been found in Lake Mead near Las Vegas, America’s largest reservoir, after the water level dropped too low.
Like many areas in the Northern Hemisphere, Lake Mead, which supplies water and electricity to Las Vegas, is suffering from an unprecedented drought. Wednesday’s water level was the lowest since April 1937, when the reservoir began to fill. Because of the low water levels, some things seemed to remain hidden forever: On Saturday, local national park officials announced the discovery of more human remains — the fourth since May.
Officials had already said in May that bodies were expected to be found given the receding water levels. A third such discovery was not made until July 25: According to the US National Park Service, a man alerted authorities and informed them that the remains of a man had been found. Forensic medicine must now clarify the cause of death. The National Park Authority is not releasing any further information due to the ongoing investigation.
Lake’s Mafia is the past
Due to the drought in the western United States, Lake Mead’s water level is dropping drastically. That led to the first gruesome discovery in early May: Day trippers found a barrel containing the remains of a man who had been shot in the head in the late 1970s or early 1980s on the dry shore of the reservoir. The lake was still 30 meters deep. Las Vegas was an organized crime hotbed at the time of the murder.
A few days after the body was found in the barrel, another body was found. There is no evidence of a crime here. But when news of the discovery came, a resident of Spain got in touch. He is convinced that the remains belong to his father. He was three years old when his father drowned in Lake Mead at the age of 22. He was on a speed boat with a friend when they were hit by a strong wave and both were thrown from the boat. Only one survived. The body was not recovered.
Water and power source for Las Vegas
Lake Mead is the largest reservoir in the United States. It was built in the 1930s as part of the Hoover Dam project and provides drinking water to 25 million people. 100 cubic meters of water flow through the Hoover Dam’s turbines every second. The power plant produces about four billion kWh of electricity per year. They mainly supply Las Vegas, a desert city of 650,000 people, with its enormous water and energy needs. (Cas/AFP)
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