A buoy that reads “No Boats” lays on dry waterbed at Lake Mead, Nev., on July 23, 2022. Water levels in Lake Mead are at the lowest level since April 1937 when the reservoir was first filled with water, according to NASA. Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images
A buoy that reads u201cNo Boatsu201d lays on dry waterbed at Lake Mead, Nev., on July 23, 2022. Water levels in Lake Mead are at the lowest level since April 1937 when the reservoir was first filled with water, according to NASA. Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images
Major American Cities Facing a ‘Day Zero’ Water Crisis, Experts Say
Some experts believe that years of extreme drought and unchecked water usage have put U.S. cities at risk of critical shortages.
A buoy that reads “No Boats” lays on dry waterbed at Lake Mead, Nev., on July 23, 2022. Water levels in Lake Mead are at the lowest level since April 1937 when the reservoir was first filled with water, according to NASA. Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images
A buoy that reads u201cNo Boatsu201d lays on dry waterbed at Lake Mead, Nev., on July 23, 2022. Water levels in Lake Mead are at the lowest level since April 1937 when the reservoir was first filled with water, according to NASA. Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images
The term “Day Zero Water” has become synonymous with a worst-case scenario for public water resources. It refers to a moment at which a city or region’s water supply is almost depleted and officials cut tap supply to communities.
This crisis was narrowly averted in 2018 in Cape Town, South Africa, which approached the threshold of a Day Zero event after rationing was almost not enough.