WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.270 --> 00:00:02.400
- [Angely] More than half
of the U.S. is experiencing

2
00:00:02.400 --> 00:00:04.680
some form of drought condition this year.

3
00:00:04.680 --> 00:00:06.720
States out West are under a mega-drought,

4
00:00:06.720 --> 00:00:08.790
aka it's a drought that is so bad,

5
00:00:08.790 --> 00:00:12.120
we haven't seen anything
like it in over 1,000 years.

6
00:00:12.120 --> 00:00:14.640
Officials are working hard
to lower excessive water use.

7
00:00:14.640 --> 00:00:16.200
Especially out in LA County

8
00:00:16.200 --> 00:00:19.440
where there are now water police agents.

9
00:00:19.440 --> 00:00:21.900
They walk around the city
and look for signs of leaks,

10
00:00:21.900 --> 00:00:24.390
puddled water, and sprinkler overuse.

11
00:00:24.390 --> 00:00:27.870
Water departments are also
keeping tabs of overuse

12
00:00:27.870 --> 00:00:31.290
in celebrity-studded areas like Calabasas.

13
00:00:31.290 --> 00:00:35.880
Fun fact, Kourtney Kardashian's
home used more than 200%

14
00:00:35.880 --> 00:00:38.610
of its allocated water
budget this past May.

15
00:00:38.610 --> 00:00:40.200
And there're several other celebrities

16
00:00:40.200 --> 00:00:42.750
that have also overshot their
water budgets this year.

17
00:00:42.750 --> 00:00:44.550
Looking over to the Northeast,

18
00:00:44.550 --> 00:00:46.710
that area isn't doing much better.

19
00:00:46.710 --> 00:00:49.350
States like New Hampshire,
Rhode Island, Maine,

20
00:00:49.350 --> 00:00:52.890
and Massachusetts have seen
quick-spreading flash drought.

21
00:00:52.890 --> 00:00:53.730
Earlier this year,

22
00:00:53.730 --> 00:00:56.640
most of Massachusetts didn't
show any sign of drought.

23
00:00:56.640 --> 00:00:57.930
But that has quickly changed

24
00:00:57.930 --> 00:00:59.880
and now most of the state is really dry.

25
00:00:59.880 --> 00:01:02.250
Water restrictions have sprung
up throughout the country.

26
00:01:02.250 --> 00:01:05.100
This is especially true because
huge reservoirs out West

27
00:01:05.100 --> 00:01:07.170
are seeing historically low levels.

28
00:01:07.170 --> 00:01:10.590
But the drought is dredging
up other unexpected things.

29
00:01:10.590 --> 00:01:13.530
For example, four human bodies

30
00:01:13.530 --> 00:01:16.110
have been found in Lake
Mead as of this May.

31
00:01:16.110 --> 00:01:19.110
These areas used to be covered
by dozens of feet of water

32
00:01:19.110 --> 00:01:20.460
and they're now laid bare.

33
00:01:20.460 --> 00:01:23.430
So sunken secrets, unfortunately
like human remains,

34
00:01:23.430 --> 00:01:24.840
are now easier to find.

35
00:01:24.840 --> 00:01:27.000
If the water gets any lower at Lake Mead,

36
00:01:27.000 --> 00:01:29.250
it's gonna reach something
called a dead pool.

37
00:01:29.250 --> 00:01:33.210
This occurs if water
levels go under 895 feet.

38
00:01:33.210 --> 00:01:35.430
That means that there's
not enough water to flow,

39
00:01:35.430 --> 00:01:38.130
and that means no hydropower.

40
00:01:38.130 --> 00:01:39.270
Nearby in California,

41
00:01:39.270 --> 00:01:42.000
other reservoirs are also
seeing dangerous lows.

42
00:01:42.000 --> 00:01:44.040
And this means that the state
will have to fill in their

43
00:01:44.040 --> 00:01:46.770
hydropower gap with natural gas instead.

44
00:01:46.770 --> 00:01:49.200
And it's now August, and
there's no end in sight

45
00:01:49.200 --> 00:01:50.700
to our current widespread drought.

46
00:01:50.700 --> 00:01:52.680
But that means we're going
to have to plan accordingly

47
00:01:52.680 --> 00:01:54.270
because so much of the U.S.

48
00:01:54.270 --> 00:01:56.250
is now in for a pretty dry future.

49
00:01:56.250 --> 00:01:58.020
Thank you for watching "Extreme Earth."

50
00:01:58.020 --> 00:02:00.893
We're sorry that we've to
constantly remind you about this.