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September 5, 2008 9:51:04 PM CDT

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Lake Mead May Vanish by 2021

Posted Feb 13, 08 3:24 AM CST in Science & Health,  US 

(Newser) – Lake Mead, the giant man-made lake behind the Hoover Dam and a major source of water for millions of people, is rapidly drying up, reports Live Science. A new study predicts a  50% chance the lake will be too low to produce hydroelectric power by 2017, and a 50% chance that it will vanish by 2021.

Global warming and increasing demand are being blamed. "We were stunned at the magnitude of the problem and how fast it was coming at us," said an author of the study. "Make no mistake, this water problem is not a scientific abstraction, but will impact each and every one of us who live in the Southwest."

Source LiveScience

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Lake Mead, the giant man-made lake behind the Hoover Dam and a major source of water for millions of people could be dry by 2021.   (Laura Rauch/AP)
The white ring shows the drop in water levels in Lake Mead in the last five years. Scientists fear the lake may be dry by 2021.   (Getty Images)
Lake Mead in 2006. A new study shows the giant man made lake which serves 22 million Americans with water and hydroelectric power, could be dry by 2021.   (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
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