A week does not go by without some national or international news outlet heralding the impending demise of Southern Nevada as a result of the relentless drought that has plagued the Colorado River system for well over a decade. These stories are fueled in part by declarations made by some scientists that Lake Mead could “empty” by as early as 2025. The belief appears to be that the only location at risk as a result of this drought is Southern Nevada. There seems to be little, if any, understanding of the dominoes that begin to fall if crucial reservoir elevations are reached in Lake Mead. Although initially amused by the silliness of this storyline, I quickly became concerned that not only could the creation of this mythology hurt Southern Nevada’s economy, but lull citizens in downstream communities — both urban and agricultural — into believing that this situation does not affect them. Nothing could be further from the truth.