Las Vegas Places Its Bets on Lake Mead Reservoir as Water Levels Drop

Las Vegas is betting that it can outrun the effects of an epic drought and prevent Lake Mead, source of 90% of its water, from running dry. “As with many things in Sin City, the apparently endless supply of water is an illusion,” The Telegraph reports. “America’s most decadent destination has been engaged in a potentially catastrophic gamble with nature and now, 14 years into a devastating drought, it is on the verge of losing it all.” Adds Scripps Institution of Oceanography climate scientist Tim Barnett: “It’s just going to be screwed. And relatively quickly. Unless it can find a way to get more water from somewhere, Las Vegas is out of business. Yet they’re still building, which is stupid.” (h/t Tyler Durden, Zero Hedge)