Water is falling from the sky today and I am happy! Here in the southwest USA people have a great appreciation for rain. We have had many years of drought and we know this rain, and more, is needed. We even get excited when we know the mountain states north of us are receiving a good snowfall. Let it rain! Let it snow! Water is needed for the Colorado River which feeds into Lake Mead.

Last month I walked along the Mike O’Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge to look down at Lake Mead just on the other side of the Hoover Dam. While the bridge is an amazing concrete-steel construction that took 5 years to build, I was here to see the level of water in Lake Mead. The water in this large reservoir supplies about 20 million people and farmland in California, Arizona, Nevada and some to Mexico.

In the photo below: look at the white bathtub ring of where the water level used to be in Lake Mead. I remember decades ago when there was no bathtub ring. It will never refill to that full level in my lifetime. I do worry how much lower the water level will go though, especially with more housing construction happening.

At my home, the rain is collecting in mulch basins to water our trees and plants, plus to keep the water in the ground here. We do not want water flowing down a paved road. Instead we want to capture all the water we can and return it to the aquifer below.

Take time to think about your water uses and how not to waste water. It’s a resource every living thing needs … that’s you and me!