Scientists Discover Enormous Aquifer Beneath Oregon Cascades Mountain Range [Video]

The largest mountain range in Oregon, the majestic Cascades stretch from British Columbia, Canada, to Northern California.

Scientists from University of Oregon (UO) and partners recently discovered a hidden gem beneath the Cascade range that is desperately needed in the West: water in volumes much higher than had previously been estimated.

After mapping the amount of water underneath volcanic rocks that lie at the central crest of the mountain range, the scientists discovered an aquifer many times bigger than was once believed — a minimum of 81 cubic kilometers, or nearly three times the full capacity of Lake Mead, the overdrawn reservoir on the Colorado River that supplies drinking water to California, Nevada and Arizona, a press release from UO said.

“It is a continental-size lake stored in the rocks at the top of the mountains, like a big water tower,” said Leif Karlstrom, an Earth scientist at UO who led …