Sunken boats have become unofficial water level markers in Lake Mead, but the wreckage might not be at the reservoir for much longer.
After years of drought, Lake Mead, located in Nevada and Arizona, reached drastically low levels last summer. However, water levels have since started to recover because of above-average precipitation and snowpack that melted throughout the summer. A shipwrecked speedboat in Government Wash, a designated undeveloped camping area at Lake Mead, has often been used as a symbol to document the lake's water levels in times of drought.
Other wrecked boats scatted throughout the lake also have served as unofficial markers, although Lake Mead officials are now seeking volunteers to clean up the lake, including helping to remove the boats from the water.
Lake Mead National Recreation Area Superintendent Mike Gauthier called the boats "eyesores" in an update, Fox 5 Vegas reported.
"We really want to clean up the park and make it look good so it's around for future generations. We really want to clean up some of these boats that are left. These visuals are unattractive and don't help the park," Gauthier said. "They are a nuisance. They sort of give you the impression the place is trashed."
Newsweek reached out to the National Park Service (NPS) and the Lake Mead National Recreation Area via email for comment.
Many of the boats were exposed last summer when water levels reached drastically low levels. Some of the boats—including the wrecked speedboat at Government Wash—have nearly been reclaimed by rising waters, leading boaters to add markers around the wreckage to warn others of the hazard that lies beneath the water. Others remain outside the water but could be resubmerged over time if levels continue rising.
The National Park Service is seeking volunteers who can offer resources that will remove the boats from the lake when the water levels drop again. After a steady rise all summer, Lake Mead levels have started to level off and are expected to fall slightly before winter. As of Friday, Lake Mead was at nearly 1,066 feet, more than 20 feet above levels during this time last year.
However, not everyone wants to see the boats removed from the lake. Some people have become fascinated with observing the boats as a water level marker, and others recognize that the boats—although derelict and abandoned—have become a home for fish and other lake life.
"I've been out here so long, I like looking at them. Even if they're underwater, they're still down there," Adrian Montero, Jr., a YouTuber who documents the bizarre discoveries unearthed at Lake Mead, told Fox 5 Vegas.
The NPS is conducting volunteer lake clean-up days through November 11.
