Lake Mead from 10,000 ft up
Another Ariel: note the water line
Talk has been circulating for years about the draught facing Southern Nevada, after all the ramifications will shape the entire southwestern United States. The problem has now reached the floor of Congress and they are preparing to do something about it.
A Few of the Problems
Too many states are drawing from the same source. Lake Mead supplies water to Southern Nevada, Arizona, and Southern California. Lake Mead currently has record lows amounts of water and some experts believe it has lost nearly half of is volume (see pictures above, at Hoover Damn the water line is about 50 feet low).
Not enough precipitation. The Colorado River is the primary source of water into Lake Mead. The source of precipitation for the Colorado River is snowfall. Colorado has seen significant decrease in the level of annual snowfall.
The 100 year agreement is still binding. When the Hoover Dam was completed in the 1930’s, Nevada, Colorado and California entered into a 100 year agreement regarding shared water rights. In the 1930’s Las Vegas was a “one horse gambling town.” No one could have imagined that 75 years later Las Vegas would become home to 1.8 million residents, not to mention an average 300,000 tourists per weekend. It is estimated that by 2010 Las Vegas could reasonably have 3 million people. An agreement made in good faith back then has created huge problems for southern Nevada today. The current contract is up for renewal in 2035, but leaves Nevada looking for solutions to cover the next 20 years.
Current Water Conservation
Pat Mulroy, General Manager for the Water Authority, has made water conservation a top priority. His message to Las Vegas residents is crystal clear; we must all become “Water Smart.” For the past few years water conservation has become a part of our lives in various forms. Here are only a few.
Watering Restrictions
The Las Vegas Valley is on a watering schedule 12 months a year. Each section of town is permitted to water on scheduled days, times and lengths of time. If a Las Vegas Home owners is caught not abiding by the rules they will be fined.
Home Builder Restrictions
Developers honor the conservation effort by being restricted to using Water Smart Landscaping on all residential and commercial developments. This restriction is now part of the building code for all Clark County Nevada Real Estate.
Car Wash Restrictions
Since residents are not allowed to wash their cars at home, the Water Authority is giving away coupons to “Water Smart Carwashes” at the Southern Nevada Water Authority website.
Rebates
Many Las Vegas Homes still have grass lawns, but the Water Authority would like to see that changed. As an incentive they will rebate homeowners a portion of the cost incurred when converting a yard to the approved water smart landscaping. The current rebate is at $2 for the first 1500 square feet and $1 per sq ft thereafter. Las Vegas Real Estate owners get paid to be Water Smart!
While all this is helpful it does not solve the water shortage problem. Lessening the use of water does not create water. We need more water!
A Temporary Solution
One of the best long term solution proposals is the multi-billion dollar water pipeline which will pipe in water from the White Pines area in Northern Nevada but to date this idea has not been approved.
For now lawmakers have approved a temporary solution. It is believed that a large amount of Lake Mead water piped to California farmers is lost when it rains. Rather than being utilized by the state it is dumped into Mexico’s Sea of Cortez. That simply will not work for Southern Nevada! The recapturing of this water during California rains and giving it back to Nevada appears to be the most logical temporary solution.
Congress recently passed legislation instructing the federal government to immediately construct and operate an $84 million dollar reservoir which would be used recapture this water. The provisions would give 40,000 acre-feet annually (enough to supply 120,000 Las Vegas homes with water each year). The valley currently uses 300,000 acre-feet of water per year. Of course Nevada will have to help pay for the project. It’s ironic the things we’ll do to get back the basic necessities that were ours to begin with.
It seems likely Nevada’s water problem will exist into eternity. Thankfully we have some progressive leaders who are taking the lead.
[...] a concern for years and the main solution has been water conservation. In 2007 we blogged about a Water Smart Congress and Las Vegas continues to be applauded and awarded for it’s various conservation practices [...]