Statement
Low water levels in Lake Mead reveal the iconic intake towers of the Hoover Dam and the surrounding igneous rocks. Lake Mead is the lifeblood of the American West, but since the 1980s its water levels have been receding at an alarming rate, dropping by hundreds of feet. Huge population growth, water mismanagement and misallocation, and climate change have all contributed, creating an unprecedented water crisis. It’s hoped that higher snowfall and monsoonal summer rains will raise levels again, but with an ever-warming planet, experts say more action is needed to prevent a catastrophic water shortage.
Chris Round is a landscape photographer based in Sydney, Australia. From documenting landscapes featuring direct human interventions to exploring ideas of place, Chris’s work primarily investigates our ever-changing relationship with the 21st-century environment.