Houseboats Trapped On Lake Mead As Water Levels Fall Closer To “Dead Pool” Status 

Lake Mead’s water levels are plunging so fast that houseboats on the nation’s largest reservoir are getting stuck because there’s not enough water in some parts. 

One houseboat was stranded for three weeks after the water quickly dropped earlier this month. Thankfully, YouTubers — Sin City Outdoors of Las Vegas and HeavyDSparks of Salt Lake City — came out with a military jet boat and documented when they pulled the beached houseboat back into the water. 

Dave Sparks and his team arrived Thursday and secured permission from the National Park Service to conduct the recovery operation of the houseboat. 

Persistent drought conditions have pushed Lake Mead to the lowest point since the artificial reservoir was filled nearly a century ago. Water levels have been falling this year, down to 1,043 feet above sea level — and 148 feet from “dead pool,” which is the point water would no longer pass through Hoover Dam to supply California, Arizona, and Mexico. 

A graph might not do justice to visualizing just how fast the water level has fallen. So here are three pictures of a sunken speedboat in the lake and the corresponding date. Just in May, the boat was partially submerged. Now there’s no water. 

Other YouTubers have headed to Lake Mead as well because they know the apocalyptic scenes of a dried-out lake would generate views. 

Here’s more footage of Lake Mead — maybe the body of water (or whatever is left) should be called Desert Mead. 

“As the lake continues to fall the Lake Mead Marina finds itself in a very serious situation. Can it be moved farther out? Other Marinas have already been closed and some of the harbors look like the apocalypse,” YouTuber The Other Me said. 

Some say it could only be a matter of weeks before boat ramps become inaccessible.  

North America’s largest artificial reservoir appears to be in deep trouble.