Summer of grim discoveries continues as more skeletal remains are found at drought-stricken Lake Mead
More human remains have been found at Lake Mead, officials said Tuesday, another grim discovery as the country’s largest reservoir drops to historic lows.
It's the third time since May that skeletal remains have been discovered.
National Park Service rangers responded to a report around 8 p.m. Monday and found the remains in the Swim Beach area, Lake Mead National Recreation Area officials said.
On May 1, the body of someone police think was fatally shot in the 1970s or ’80s was found in a barrel.
Skeletal remains were discovered May 7, Aug. 6 and Monday.
Other human remains were found at Lake Mead’s Swim Beach in Nevada on July 25. They were not skeletal, and it was not clear whether dropping water levels played a role in the discovery, a park official said at the time.
A drought gripping the Western U.S. has helped push Lake Mead's water levels to historic lows.
On Tuesday, the Interior Department announced reductions in the amount of water Arizona, Nevada and Mexico can draw from Lake Mead in 2023.
The department in a statement cited a 23-year ongoing drought and historic low runoff conditions in the Colorado River Basin.
Tuesday’s announcement included designating Lake Mead to operate in a Tier-2a shortage. It is the first time the lake has been pushed to that designation.
The prolonged drought and low runoff to the Colorado River have been accelerated by climate change, officials said.
