History emerges as Lake Mead recedes
Looking out at a vast, dusty valley, Alan O’Neill nods at a long concrete ramp that hasn’t seen a motorized boat launch in nearly 20 years. … Approaching one edge of Las Vegas Bay Marina Overlook — now more than 1.5 miles from the water’s edge — O’Neill points out the picnic tables shaded by green metal gazebos near the abandoned boat ramp, a nearby campsite that still draws visitors, and the dry ground that once used to be part of Lake Mead. … The plummeting water levels at Lake Mead receive national attention because of the reservoir’s key role in supplying water to municipal and agricultural users in Arizona, Nevada and California, forcing state and federal officials to make difficult decisions about how to keep the water flowing after more than two decades of drought.