Largest US Reservoir at Record Low; Record Flood in Detroit; Milwaukee Stormwater Overflow Fix

Southwest braces as Lake Mead water levels drop. Nevada’s Lake Mead, the nation’s largest reservoir, has hit an all-time low since it was first filled in the 1930s, raising concerns that a water shortage could be declared for a region home to 40 million people in seven fast-growing states.

Record Flood Fills Detroit Freeways. Detroit was pummeled with torrents of record-breaking rain Monday evening, stranding drivers on flooded freeways and leaving one dead. The city received 4.57 inches of rain Monday, Detroit’s second highest on record following a rainfall of 4.74 inches in 1925, according to the National Weather Service. Some communities received more than 6 inches of rain. In contrast, the average rainfall for all of August is just 3 inches.

Milwaukee finds a fix for stormwater overflows: Abandoned basements. Some basement flooding could become happy occurrences, if more cities walk in the watery footsteps of Milwaukee.