Will Hilary's Rains End Lake Mead's Water Crisis?

As Storm Hilary made landfall in California, heavy rain swept over regions of the southwestern U.S. Just last year, this region was in the midst of a severe drought, and important reservoirs like Lake Mead were in a dire state.

Before Storm Hilary hit, Lake Mead's water levels stood at 1,063.49 feet. On August 20, they rose to 1,063.62 feet and on August 21, the second day of the storm, water levels stood at 1,063.78 feet.

But will this make any difference to the water crisis?

"It is really natural to see the storms associated with Hilary and to imagine these rains are helping to solve our drought problem in the Colorado River basin. If only it were that easy," Andrea K. Gerlak, director of the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy and a professor in the School of Geography, Development & Environment at the University of Arizona, told Newsweek.

Last year, Lake Mead reached a record low water level of 1,040 feet as the drought stretched on, some 27 percent of its full capacity.

This year has been far wetter than previous years in the southwest. A series of atmospheric rivers and snow storms descended on the region over the winter and early spring period. This accumulated some much-needed snowpack in the area, which fed into Lake Mead, rising water levels to 1,054 feet by the end of May.

Storm Hilary may have further risen these levels, but Gerlak said this won't make much difference in the wider picture.

"Rain falling over our reservoirs can certainly help with lake levels and water supplies but it is small in the grand scheme of things," Gerlak said. "What Hilary reveals for me is that storms and weather patterns can provide an opportunity for the public to better understand where our water supplies come from and the causes associated with drought and shortage in the larger basin. This is a necessary first step to finding sustainable, long-term solutions."

Even after the onslaught of heavy rain over the winter, experts warned that it would take years of above-average rainfall to fully reverse the effects of the drought.

Some 25 million people living in the Colorado River basin rely on water from Lake Mead, meaning experts are closely watching the situation, poised to implement policies if the water crisis worsens.

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