Warning: Lake Mead may become dry by 2021

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 13 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists have issued an urgent warning that Lake Mead, which supplies water to millions of people in southwestern states, might be dry by 2021.

The warning from researchers Tim Barnett and David Pierce at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California-San Diego was prompted by an analysis of current and anticipated water use, as well as human-induced climate changes.

The scientists said without Lake Mead and neighboring Lake Powell, the Colorado River system cannot sustain the population of the Southwest through an unusually dry year, or worse, a sustained drought.

"We were stunned at the magnitude of the problem and how fast it was coming at us," said Barnett. "Make no mistake, this water problem is not a scientific abstraction, but rather one that will impact each and every one of us that live in the Southwest."

The scientists further predict there is a 50 percent chance that reservoir levels will drop too low to allow hydroelectric power generation by 2017.

"It's likely to mean real changes to how we live and do business in this region," Pierce added.

The study has been accepted for publication in the journal Water Resources Research.