Clock is Ticking on Las Vegas’ Water Supply
Troublesome news coming from the Southern Nevada Water Authority — unless we act quickly, there will be no water for hundreds of thousands of Las Vegas Valley residents in just three years.
Channel 8 Eyewitness News looked deeper into the problem and why time may not be on our side. Not only is this a race against time, but it’s going to cost valley residents dearly.
Even if all of the water projects are finished and everything starts working on time, SNWA still predicts a shortage. That means by 2010, the valley will be short 64-million gallons of water a day.
Does Las Vegas need an alternative? Seize the chance to post your comments, concerns, and ideas on the water issue facing the Las Vegas Valley. (SCROLL DOWN TO POST)
Categories: Environment
April 19th, 2007 at 6:32 pm
How can they say we are out of water when the city of Las Vegas made north west residents cap their wells and tap into community water? We sit on top of the aquifer and have countless natural rivers under the ground. It appears that the SNWA was so determined to practice prevention, long term planning was overlooked. I guess they better get moving on another source; desalination and wells. The Colorado River can’t provide water forever.
April 19th, 2007 at 8:04 pm
we’d have water if people would be more careful and not waste water. i see so much water wasted every day by businesses and residential that it makes me sick.if you call someone to report water waste, by the time they get there it’s to late.
April 20th, 2007 at 1:53 am
In nine years a salt water pipeline/aquaduct from the Pacific Ocean could be filling the local desalinization plant to fill Lake Mead. This is a great idea if you all are serious. SNWA are aware desalinazation plants are used throughout the Mid-East, Spain and Africa. If the idea is established, Nevada could sell fresh water to other states. Someone show leadership, make a decision times wasting.
April 20th, 2007 at 6:19 am
Water is being removed from the lake on old school.. There is a way to remove water without lowering the lake level. How, call me, John brooks 248-8745
April 20th, 2007 at 6:45 am
SNWA has only one goal and that is to keep raising the water bill if we have water or not. Its make money, make money and increase the rates over and over again.
We don’t even drink that contaminated Lake Mead water. We buy bottle water from out of state, and so does many residents in the area, so why are they raising the rates? Why are we being charged for water we don’t use?
This is just another scam, gimmic or ripp off of the residents. Heck, were not even home during the day to flush the toilet so why are they raising the rate?
The entire planet is drying up. Over charging the people won’t bring back evaporated water.
This is just another way Nevada cities have come up with to screw the people, just as the cops do in writing over 500,000 citations to make 10 million dollars off the backs of the people.
Nevada is a ass backward state being run by the police and judges, city officials all out to get you and your money.
Its no wonder the state is called a transient state, with so many people selling out.
April 20th, 2007 at 7:21 am
Sure were in a drought but to destroy nothern nevada is wrong.But its all about money and greed and how a billion dollar water authority will get what it wants and we pay for it.Any public works project will at least double in price so 2 billion goes to 5 billion real fast.
April 20th, 2007 at 3:35 pm
Let me tell you all something. I lived in Las Vegas for thirty years and moved away three years ago or better yet I was driven out. The Vegas I knew and loved is no more. I have one daughter left there. My son who is 33 just left and the youngest daughter is with me in Buffalo . Between the crime, the meth, the over population and traffic…water is just one more problem. Should have let the mob run the town instead of Steve Wynn. Oh well….good luck. I’m gone and so are most of the locals I grew up with. I guess the Mexican illegals don’t mind though.
April 20th, 2007 at 4:18 pm
I’m no expert, but if everyone has to keep conserving water because we’re running out, then WHY do we continue to shave off the tops of mountains… and tear up more land… to build thousands of houses so we bring even more people to the valley to use even more water??
Wouldn’t using less water be easier if we weren’t adding to the population by the thousands? Not to mention maybe those trying to sell houses could get a good price for them again if there weren’t so many other houses being built every minute.
April 21st, 2007 at 12:57 am
A couple of questions come to mind.
1. WHO is up-river from us that is also using the water? Couldn’t they conserve?
2. WHY are the casinos allowed to throw water into the air to evaporate while I am not allowed to wash my car? My water has consistently been between $3.00 and $7.00 for the last ten years. I have desert landscape and also drink bottled water. I’m not wasting the water.
3. WHY hasn’t the Public Utilities Commission or elected official FORCED the SNWA to come to the table with a viable plan for water????
There is an old say “An emergency on your part does not mean an emergency on my part.”
The SNWA has l-o-n-g known they needed to plan ahead.
SHAME ON THE SNWA !
April 28th, 2007 at 1:18 am
Vessa ,…posted April 20 3:35pm I stick with her,…Pretty bright….
May 4th, 2007 at 12:15 am
A water shortage??? Let’s just keep building HUGE mega resorts and building zillions of new CRAPPY homes and letting 7,000 people a month move here! I agree with Vessa,who posted earlier, who got the heck out of here. This town was awesome 25 years ago. Over the last 15 years people like Steve Wynn have ruined it. Aren’t some people’s pockets FULL ENOUGH?? Old Vegas is gone. It’s just too bad and it breaks my heart. I used to love it here…
May 25th, 2007 at 10:52 am
What Drought?
Why are we stuck in “drought alert”?
In going to the SNWA Website, I find no mention of “drought emergency”, it has been replaced by ” drought critical” which will only be declared when a set of undefined criteria are met.
With Lake Mead now at 1117 feet, I can only conclude the Politicians running the Water Authority Board may either be in denial or maybe stonewalling any such declarartion. Also, when one clicks on restrictions for “drought critical”, it states that these are yet ” to be determined”. I guess this is all about keeping the economic machine rolling along at an unsustainable pace.
I realize most everyone does not want to see the great economic development of Southern Nevada slowed down, but the reality is it can not and should not be sustained based on the available natural resources, one being WATER. Does anyone not see the train wreak that is coming and that the time to act is now.
August 17th, 2007 at 10:24 am
I like to talk about stool.
August 17th, 2007 at 10:26 am
I knew this would happen some day. Hey everybody – c’mon back to Cleveland. We have all the water we need in the Great Lakes. Don’t even think about diverting it that way – just move back here and drive my property values up too:)
August 17th, 2007 at 10:28 am
anyone heard of population control?
August 17th, 2007 at 10:34 am
I grew up in Las Vegas during the 1950s, 1960s and part of the 1970s. After I came beck from College in 1970 to 1982 Las Vegas was experiencing a water problem then. With the explosive growth what did the planner expect?
Water is one of the reasons I decided to move away.
August 17th, 2007 at 10:40 am
Stop building homes, and stop building more resorts and casinos. Oh yea, almost forgot, tell the casinos to stop wasting water, throwing up in the air and evaporating. The casinos use the excuse that it is tourist entertainment. I still think the tourist will still come if there is no water show. Gee, Steve Wynn has a waterfall in his new resort casino. Who got paid off to allow that? Maybe it is time to fire the people that is corrupted and put new people in those positions that is not corrupted and has integrity. Maybe then, Las Vegas can be saved. Oh yea, one more thing. There is water in Lake Las Vegas… Is that off limits? If so, I wonder who lives in that area?
August 17th, 2007 at 10:51 am
Long Term Solution can only be desalination from the Pacific.
Colorado has upstream rights to the Colorado River and has its own growing needs. It has under discussion various plans to retain River water and divert to Denver and its burbs.
SNWA may be self serving and mismanaged. But, a full Mead today does not solve a long term issue drought or no drought.
August 17th, 2007 at 10:52 am
Just look at what happened to the Owens Valley in California when L.A. stole all the water. A beautiful bread basket of a valley now all dried up…Beautiful Owens Lake – gone! This is shameful and criminal in my mind.
August 17th, 2007 at 11:03 am
Sounds like it is time for a new water management system. SNWA and the Mulroys that run it are running us out of water and forcing us to drink our CRAP! Thanks SNWA!
August 17th, 2007 at 11:09 am
The lower basin of the colorado river flow of 7.5 million acre feet (maf) is divided as follows: California-4.4maf-60%, Arizona-2.8maf-38%, Nevada-0.03maf-2%. Much of Californias and Arizona’s allocation is used for irrigation, and many farmers still use inefficient flood irrigation. If the farmers in California would save just 5% of their usage, Nevada’s allocation could double. Or a desalination plant in LA would solve our problem. Nevada’s allocation is tiny compared to Arizona and California. Check for yourself http://www.usbr.gov/lc/region/pao/lawofrvr.html#compact
Another easy solution is to ban swimming pools in Las Vegas. Look at googles satellite image of las vegas, half the homes have 50,000 gallon swimming pools, in which several hundred gallons evaporate from them daily.
I have grass yards and used a total of 40,000 gallons last year, less than 1 swimming pool. I’ll remove my lawns when I see a ban on swimming pools.
Also vegas as a whole is using less water today, then 10 years ago, even with all the growth, due to conservation.
Re-allocation of the colorado river flow is needed to reflect the changes in population since it was adopted in 1928. With Harry Reid’s leader position in the senate, this should not be a problem.
August 17th, 2007 at 11:12 am
Why can’t Clark County impose a moratorium against new Swimming Pool installations? We could save thousands of gallons per week.
August 17th, 2007 at 11:12 am
I live in Miami, FL but I have visited LV many times over the last 30 years and I’m quite fameliar with your city. The solution is simple; build a pipeline to the Pacific, pipe the water in and use reverse osmosis to remove the salt. I don’t think it’s possible to drink the ocean dry but if it was possible Las Vegans would be the people to do it!
August 17th, 2007 at 11:29 am
Gee, you build all those houses in the desert and then whine because you have no water.
Why is this so hard to understand?
August 17th, 2007 at 11:30 am
Water conservation and rationing should be applied right now!!!!!!!!!!!! and pay the drop in the bucket for the pump immediately……….
August 17th, 2007 at 11:36 am
It’s a freaking DESERT!!!What do you expect. Las Vegas is a artificial oasis. Stop building, move and quit using everyone elses water to grow grass in a desert.
August 17th, 2007 at 11:37 am
How about building in places that have an adequate supply of water?
August 17th, 2007 at 11:49 am
Pat Mulroy is starting the final push to lock up Northern NV water by making these dire announcements. Nothing more, nothing less. She is shrewd! but effective.
August 17th, 2007 at 12:26 pm
It is a desert after all.
August 17th, 2007 at 12:28 pm
They built a huge city with massive suburban sprawl in a hot desert using conventional, tired, and wasteful construction and landscaping techniques.
Now you have a water supply issue? Good luck.
August 17th, 2007 at 12:39 pm
I hope you don’t expect any sympathy. Las Vegas is supposed to be desert and you folks have tried to make it into an un-natural green space. I think you should run out of drinking water.
There are a lot of tombstones yet to be set up in Las Vegas that should read “Here lies a Greedy Bastard.”
August 17th, 2007 at 12:42 pm
What about all the golf courses? Hello this is the desert. These master planned communites like Desert Shores, The Lakes, Southern Highlands, Anthem, even Lake Las Vegas…..who’s bright idea was that? What a bunch of dummies. Lake Mead is a man made lake, Las Vegas was never supposed to grow this big and it’s amazing that we’ve survived for this long. All the construction, massive mega resorts. It’s hot and dry here and hardly rains. It’s a little late to take action now. We’ve devoured our recourses and never though of the future. Picture Vegas 20 years from now, the entire city abandoned, homes, restaurants, schools, and casinos abandoned and boarded up. They might as well blow it all up now since it seems to be the only thing Vegas is good at. What would happen if we had a major fire five years from now, would there any water to put it out or would it all turn to ash?!
Stop the building, no more new resorts, people with grass should know that it doesn’t grow here naturally, neither do palm trees or half of the other non-native plants. Shame on the Nevada Development Authority, the SNWA, the Mayor and the Governor, the people with power in offices should have known the water wasn’t going last forever. But no let’s keep building more homes allowing the population to explode. Was I the only one who paid attention in science class. There’s a reason why a desert is barren….theres no water!
August 17th, 2007 at 1:03 pm
The same people who left the midwest are now realizing that all the people in norther Ohio are within walking distance of 20% of the world’s fresh water.
August 17th, 2007 at 1:17 pm
Recycle and Recharge your Water
I wish to respond to a Blog Titled Clock is Ticking on Las Vegas’ Water Supply. If we educate This Country about the four R’s Recycle, Recharge, Restoration, Research, there will be no need for water wars. Las Vegas can save all the money they plan to spend on a short term fix and spend it on a plant to purify the 90% cleaned water from it’s surage plant to recharge it’s Aquifer and always have water.
If Las Vegas has Two Billion dollars to spend on a 285 mile pipe line to take water they have more then enough money to Recycle and Recharge their Aquifer with every Gallon wastewater they use ever day. Here in Ohio I’m working and have educated our State and County elected Officials about the 4 R’s its time you do the same.
Orange County Calif (www.gwrsystem.com) is recharging 70 million gal a day in first faze and working its way up to recharging 250 Million Gal a day of wastewater at a cost of $500.00 an acre foot with process I’m writing below.
I present you with the Worlds most advanced high tech, state of-the- art, three step purification processes. I understand with the process of Micro-filtration, Reverse Osmosis, and Ultraviolet Purification you can produce water as pure as Bottled Water from your daily already treated waste water.
Micro-filtration is used by industries to process baby food, fruit Juices, soda beverages, and to sterilize medicines that can’t be heated.
Reverse Osmosis with a high pressure membrane will force water through the molecular structure of a thin membrane wrapped hundreds of times that filters out contaminants, viruses, pesticides, salts, minerals, the Microscopic membrane allows only water molecules to pass through.
Ultraviolet Purification the final step in the process has UV lights much like what Dentist and Hospitals use to sterilize instruments. If anything got through the first two steps it is zapped in this process. When the water comes out the end of the UV purifier it is ready to drink cleaned of all Contaminants, chemicals- non detect, Pharmaceuticals- non detect. But you want to go one step more you want to recharge your Aquifers.
Municipalities can clean their already treated waste water with process above and instead of dumping it into a stream they can send it to a percolation Basin dug in the recharge area of the Aquifer where it will mix with rain water and be filtered one more time. All municipalities that use under ground production wells has a recharge area. Municipalities with twenty to thirty thousand Population needs a percolation Basin about one acre thirteen feet deep to hold four million gallon.
Ground Water recharge will be available regardless of rainfall levels or drought and future droughts. The recharged water will be so pure it will help soften your states water by reducing the minerals in your Aquifers. It will keep your Aquifers full and streams flowing with the cleanest water the world has every known.
World Health Organization states the world’s largest health problem is lack of water or dirty water 60,000 children die each day. According to the World Bank global water polluted equals water consumed every year. 20% of world’s population currently enjoys running water let us keep ours pure and clean.
Paul Marshall
Burbank Ohio….Ph 330 624 6483
August 17th, 2007 at 1:27 pm
check out our website at
http://www.miragewatermaker.com
we make water from AIR.
JB
August 17th, 2007 at 1:27 pm
maybe we could use the new domestic spy satellites to discover new water sources so stupid people who move to a desert have water to drink
August 17th, 2007 at 1:36 pm
When it’s time to start pumping the oceans, you know it’s time to start reducing population. Global population is too high…and this is just one of the signs. Thank you for NOT BREEDING. When humans reproduce like cockroaches, life looses its value. Let’s pump water up from Mexico, since after all, they’ve sent us a huge portion of their population.
August 17th, 2007 at 1:47 pm
Perhaps limiting your growth a little.
Note to Vegas- Stay away from Utah’s water.
August 17th, 2007 at 1:51 pm
Chickin’ Lickin’s at it again.
Never saw a crisis, never will. The area will adjust to meet the resources.
August 17th, 2007 at 1:59 pm
Let All The Casinos Chip in and Build A Desalination Plant That Produces Enough Water Equal To What They Demand From The Colorado River and Pump It Up From The Sea of Cortez
August 17th, 2007 at 2:03 pm
And do the authorities dare close down outdoor water displays like the Bellagio’s that evaporates away thousands & thousands gallons of water daily? Of course not, money talks, bullshit walks in Vegas, baby!
August 17th, 2007 at 2:13 pm
HAHA….all those high priced luxury kondoze in the desert.
Man what were you people thinking?
Get ready for a 50%+ decline in real estate values.
I wonder how many hi rises were super insulated against the heat with R36+ walls and R65 ceilings, OOPS….more waste and more water needed to generate electricity.
August 17th, 2007 at 2:16 pm
OOPS forgot how many High Rises or $500,000 McMansions have solar panels in a desert?
What a waste of resources in America, what were people thinking?
August 17th, 2007 at 2:24 pm
Why keep grading desert into sites for more homes when there are 25,000 listed for sale on the MLS? There are only a handful of major developers. Do they have that much influence over the elected officials and county employees that they can dictate how many more new homes are going to be built and how much water is to be taken from the rural counties? There must be a lot of campaign donations being paid out to city,county and state officials to over-ride the wishes of the citizens. There should be a Citizens Committee formed to rise up and say-enough!
August 17th, 2007 at 2:35 pm
Dear Desert folks:
Please take a hard look at what they are doing in Dubai and the middle east – they are funding de-salination facilities to handle the excess in water needs. Maybe instead of passing the buck they should creat a pipeline and pump it from the ocean and they could sell it to othr cities? other than that please control the growth and levie fines for heavy water wasters – the hotels should have some sort of reclaimation for the grey water to be processed for golf courses and lanscaping. Las Vegas welcome to reality.
Steve H
August 17th, 2007 at 2:39 pm
The water crisis is a result of people refusing to deal with the reality that Las Vegas is in a desert. Golf courses should be limited and use waste water, lawns need to be changed to desert landscaping (cacti, large rocks & drought resistant plants can look lovely), houses should be designed to use bath and sink water for toilet flushing, fountains banned, swimming pools limited and covered to reduce evaporation, etc. The people in Las Vegas have no moral right to the water rfom the rest of Neveda and must respect the natural order or risk destroying an enormous ecosystem. While we’re at it, let’s heat water on roofs by running it through black pipes. Make more use of evaporative air conditioning and fans. adjust to the environment you live in, don’t fight it!
Humans must recognize their arrogance regarding nature and respect their environment. We have no options; we must evolve.
August 17th, 2007 at 2:39 pm
This article only confirms what I have been saying the past few years. The mass influx of people to Las Vegas has seemed insane to me. PEOPLE, YOU ARE MOVING TO A DESERT!!! No matter how you try to pretty it up, it is a barren, dry dusty desert that cannot sustain the masses of fools who have chosen to move there. Your houses will soon be worthless. Nuff said!!
Aug 16, 2007 10:39 PM
August 17th, 2007 at 2:40 pm
Just quadruple the water rates. Make it too expensive to waste water. But Las Vegas is a rip off so who cares. The world can live without Las Vegas.
August 17th, 2007 at 2:44 pm
Here’s a big long term idea to solve the water problem.
Dig tunnels and canals from the Pacific Ocean to Death Valley. The tunnel would have to travel through a mountain and the total distance would be about 300 miles. Death Valley is 500ft below sea level. Flooding Death Valley would create a huge salt water lake, changing the atmosphere in the area and creating rain, rivers, fresh water lakes and a drinkable water supply. Since Death Valley is only 150 miles from Las Vegas, this would be perfect for them. Another benefit is that the water flow from the Pacific could be used to generate electricity.
August 17th, 2007 at 2:44 pm
If we have a limited supply of water and anticipate a shortage in as little as three years, why do we continue to build more homes and large complexes? We should utilize what we have, buy what is available on the market at the time, and recycle for the large water complexes. A look at history shows us that we have survived with less water, but we were less in number and less in homes. Desert is desert, little water. From desert we came and to desert we are returning. Enjoy the water wealth, it will be leaving soon.
August 17th, 2007 at 2:59 pm
I was once told that Las Vegas, NV had no debt due to the revenue that the gambling casinos generated for the city. This being the case, it was explained that Las Vegas could simply offer the most money to purchase water from the Colorado River when they needed it. A real estate investment group told me this. I didn’t buy a condo but nearly did.
August 17th, 2007 at 3:07 pm
The sooner we run out of water, the better. The valley is overrun with too many houses, too many people and since there is no way to convice the politians that too much construction is a bad thing, nature will have to do what we the people have failed to do, LIMIT THE POPULATION AND LIMIT THE CONSTRUCTION!
August 17th, 2007 at 3:19 pm
I live out in Pahrump, north end, and far too many people out here also. I have been here 10 years, and the towns and cities will have to STOP building etc. Will they? NO? They will drain the last drop of water then say whoops!!
August 17th, 2007 at 3:22 pm
Many times I see water waste, I report it only to find the water district does not respond.
I go to the Las Vegas Athletic club & see people running the sinks at full blast while they are off doing something else, In My community water sprinklers are runnig after 11 am, there is very little enforcement after I report it. Truthfully it looks like an excuse to keep raising rates. Seeing is believing,
Lots of waste, very little enforcement.
August 17th, 2007 at 3:22 pm
Many times I see water waste, I report it only to find the water district does not respond.
I go to the Las Vegas Athletic club & see people running the sinks at full blast while they are off doing something else, In My community water sprinklers are runnig after 11 am, there is very little enforcement after I report it. Truthfully it looks like an excuse to keep raising rates. Seeing is believing,
Lots of waste, very little enforcement.
August 17th, 2007 at 3:25 pm
Thanks to all the wonderful elected officials who finally come out with a statement about a water shortage. Where was everyone when the lake level was dropping and there wasnt enough snow pack to replace the usage. Sure ,people are encouraged to live here but we are still allowing lawns,daily laundry service in hotels,fountains are on again, water cooled ice machines losing millions of gallons every day. Sprinklers on in the parks on rainy days! I love that one.
The nevada resort asociation and most of our develepors have raped the meadows for their own profit and we did not have a single soul from nevada government to say anything about water usage. They just roll over like always.
August 17th, 2007 at 3:40 pm
The city created from the desert will return to desert…mother nature continues to rule the destiny of our planet even though man thinks he/she is smarter.
August 17th, 2007 at 3:40 pm
Another excellent reason to deport the illegal aliens. There would be plenty of water and other resources for us legal citizens if we deported the illegals immediately.
August 17th, 2007 at 3:52 pm
First of all, as a long term resident of Clark County (more than 30 years here), the reason we have this problem is too many persons using what is defined as a finite resource.
Never mind that the water compact for dividing water from the colorado river was done when the population of the west was relatively small, and Las Vegas was a dot in terms of overall population (compared to the rest of Nevada).
The main reason we now have this problem is many years of extreme drought (with no let-up in sight), below average snowfall on the western side of the colorado rockies, and the lack of any plans by the cities and the Clark County Commission to slow, limit, or restrict the growth in our community. As a result, the people who already live here will once again wind up paying for all of the new growth the governments around here refuse to limit or control (never mind they have plenty of time to get involved in political corruption scandals).
August 17th, 2007 at 4:12 pm
Liberals always cry about water running out, the moon falling out of the sky, the earth dying, etc.
God knew what he was doing when he made this great planet. Don’t sweat the small stuff.
August 17th, 2007 at 4:29 pm
I have lived here for almost 30 years and for the last several years residents have been screaming for a moratorium on growth, but the county commissioners seemed to put their own personal interests ahead of the tax payers. Some are now paying the price for their illegal actions, with more to come. If it is not already too late now is the time to halt further development and to hold public officials accountable for their actions, or inactions.
August 17th, 2007 at 4:39 pm
The average person uses 135 gallons every time they wash their car. There is a product on the market “ECO-SHEEN” that is a waterless car wash. I wash my entire car without one drop of water!
http://www.Irelnd4u.MPGproduct.com
If we all did this how much water could we save? EVERY DROP COUNTS!
August 17th, 2007 at 4:56 pm
Dust to Dust…
August 17th, 2007 at 5:33 pm
As a 30 year resident I am looking to get the hell out of here.This valley was once a beautiful clean place. I felt I was privileged to live here.But the excessive growth, the influx of illegals, gangs, the decline of public education, traffic and all the rest of the b s that comes with living here has me fed up. I used to love this town…but the powers that be never heeded the complaints from long time residents about the uncontrolled growth they just sold this town as a place where uneducated people could make a hundred thousand a year slinging cocktails or parking cars….so they all came for there non existent slice of the pie no wonder we are facing a massive water shortage and a glut of housing with foreclosure rates running a muck…How long did the county commisioners who all lined their pockets with land deals think this was going to last??? As always the common folk will have to pay the price…Or maybe the long time residents should stay on and wait for housing prices to plummet and we can live in huge dirt cheap mansions…
August 17th, 2007 at 5:36 pm
Ye. Build cities in a Desert and then wonder where to get water.
Build in New Orleans below Sea level, and surrounded by water and in a hurrucane zone.
Talk about dumb, or foolish.
Hey nevada. import camels, like the Arabs use. Perfect for deserts.
August 17th, 2007 at 5:50 pm
Maybe we should deport the former Californians back to L.A.
August 17th, 2007 at 6:13 pm
ARE YOU KIDDING ME? PEOPLE,WE LIVE IN A DESERT!! DID YOU SERIOUSLY THINK MEAD WOULD LAST FOREVER? DROUGHT, UNRESTRICTED GROWTH & GLOBAL WARMING HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THIS? LET THE WATER WARS BEGIN!! THIS PROBLEM SHOULD & COULD HAVE BEEN DELT WITH 20 YEARS AGO!! NOW WE WILL ALL PAY OUTRAGEOUS RATES FOR THE SMALL AMOUNT OF WATER WE WILL BE ALLOTED!! VEGAS SUCKS!! MOVE OUT NOW, BEFORE IT DRYS UP AND BLOWS AWAY IN THE WIND, LIKE THE SMELLY, OVERPRICED & OVERRATED LINCOLIN LOG IT HAS BECOME!! I DID, AND SO SHOULD YOU!!
August 17th, 2007 at 6:26 pm
The average person uses 135 gallons every time they wash their car. There is a product on the market “ECO-SHEEN” that is a waterless car wash. I wash my entire car without one drop of water!
http://www.Ireland4u.MPGproduct.com
If we all did this how much water could we save? EVERY DROP COUNTS!
previous site was incorrect
August 17th, 2007 at 6:30 pm
Duh! Who da thunk it?
We are a dumbed down nation now.
The NitWits are in charge!
August 17th, 2007 at 6:43 pm
I am sure the all of the water in the fountains on the strip could support the entire population for a good year!Why not start there and force these huge casinos to stop building bigger and better water features.
August 17th, 2007 at 6:59 pm
Back in the early 1990s, there was a BLM study regarding how to pipe fresh water from one of the rivers in Wash state down to Nevada. (One of these rivers pushes fresh water several miles out into the ocean.) Now I know the government denies that the study was done, but I actually saw and read some of it. Has anyone thought about this or heard of this study?
August 17th, 2007 at 7:02 pm
duh build a city in a desert…only a wop would think of that
August 17th, 2007 at 7:26 pm
Water shortage in a desert…who would have thought?! No one could ever acuse our species for being intelligent.
There are only 3 ways to solve the problem and I suggest Vegas look at and utilize combinations of all three: 1)reduce the population, ie. limit growth on newcomers and size of homes & businesses 2)conserve — perhaps it is time to try the cap and trade system proposed to combat global warming for water and to tax the hell out of water use to encourage ingenuity. 3)reduce population…how about a tax on babies?
–Anne
August 17th, 2007 at 7:33 pm
I lived in Arizona for a number of years and I saw how the water was being wasted there and in Vegas. They have not told people for years that there was going to be a water shortage and now it is blowing up in their faces. They have over taped the water tables and not cared about the future. It is a shame for the people who moved there years ago not for the casinos but just to live there, they are the ones who will suffer. The casinos will just move to other areas and leave behind a huge ghost town. Phoenix will be that way too. You live in the desert you have to conserve the water and electric.
August 17th, 2007 at 7:34 pm
Recently Pat Mulroy has been quoted as saying raising water rates to the levels imposed in cities such as Tucson are not being considered because they would not be popular. I don’t believe Las Vegans want to dessicate rural basins either. Conservation has not reached as deeply as it should in southern Nevada. Water rates should reflect the water crisis everyone admits is upon southern Nevada, as it is upon the entire southwest.
August 17th, 2007 at 7:34 pm
This is a direct result of the mismanagement of growth – not just Las Vegas, but also the state of California.
California gets significant water from the Colorado river through the aquaduct. This could end or be reduced if California would build desalination plants. Sure, they cost money but over the long term they make the most sense.
The growth of Las Vegas has been rediculous as well.
Officials in both California and Nevada banked on the fact that there would not be a long drought. That was simply poor management. It is their responsibility to plan for the worse case, not plan on the optimistic view.
On top of that, the once great state of California and the City of Las Vegas have turned into gang infested, illegal alien, filthy pits. The good people, like in New Orleans, are going to eventually walk away from these dumps resulting in even less local funds to pay for these problems.
So now the states of California and Nevada will come crawling to the federal government for handouts. Because of their poor planning – as with New Orleans, everyone across the country will pay.
Simply rediculous.
August 17th, 2007 at 7:45 pm
Canada has 25% of the world’s fresh water and a population the size of California.
Let’s invade; steal their water and live happily ever after. If they can’t take a joke, to heck with them!
August 17th, 2007 at 7:54 pm
There has to be a comedy movie here somewhere. The people of Vegas provide a direct challenge to Darwinism or any other theory of evolution. How can it be possible that the primates even know how to dig for water before building their habitat!
August 17th, 2007 at 9:28 pm
Ideas to discuss if they are desperate.
Begin covering the water supply with some type of reflective cover. It will take a long time but it will slow the evaporation. White Styrofoam blocks or some other type of reflective material would work. I know it will reduce boating but . . . .
Begin importing tankers full of water from places that have too much such as China and Southeast Asia. Then the water can be trucked from the port just as oil and gas are.
Start building aqueducts or a pipeline running from the North West where they have too much rain. If we can build a pipleline in Alaska you would think . . .
Build de-salination plants on the Pacific and truck that in . . .
Oh well, just thinking out loud.
August 17th, 2007 at 9:50 pm
Get in a helicopter. Look at all of the GREEN. This is the desert, QUIT watering the green immediately, REMOVE all of the green, this will buy us years to fix the problem. I mean all casinos, gated communitys, businesses, and basically anything thats green. Such a simple immediate solution, however, the officials in charge would have to buck up against the big buck boys/girls and we all know that will never happen.
August 17th, 2007 at 10:45 pm
Well, the announcement that the
water was running out did not surprise me, I have been predicting same for years. What
did surprise me was that the home
owners in Las Vegas have been trying to get development stopped
for years and have been ignored.
That problem is common all over this country, even here in Indiana, where our problem is traffic and crowded schools.
As for a quick fix, I suggest
that all houses, apartments and condos that have been jammed into
the valley in the past four years,
be torn down and presto, more
water for the long time residents.
Dan O’Connor
West Harrison, Indiana
August 17th, 2007 at 10:48 pm
This has been the topic of discussion among hydrogeologists for at least 30 years. The City of Las Vegas and other southern Nevada communities have been mining Pleistocene water for decades. It is a non-renewable resource.
Other regions of the West are in similar situations, although Las Vegas is the poster child for irresponsible development.
August 17th, 2007 at 10:56 pm
Have a third party look at all the data.
August 17th, 2007 at 10:56 pm
Thank Alan Greenspan, greedy development companies and politicians who probably receieved kick backs from developers when they were supposed to help plan a sane rate of growth and stop it when the water system began straining. Las Vegas, future desert ghost town.
August 17th, 2007 at 11:08 pm
California has 840 miles of coastline. Force them to build desalinization plants to supply their water. Las Vegas needs to say to hell with California and take it’s fair share of the Colorado River.
August 17th, 2007 at 11:57 pm
Too damn bad. Tell those idiot money grubbers to stop building so many useless hotels and casinos. Problem solved.
August 18th, 2007 at 2:55 am
Has any thought been given to building a pipeline from the Pacific ocean then Taking the salt out of the water. The middle east have been doing this for quite some time. Also cruise ships and Navy ships have the same technique. It is a very expensive operation but it should be considered.
August 18th, 2007 at 3:35 am
You do realize that there are many upon many who read the potential sin city water shortage as a feel good story.
Jus sayin. ( ;
August 18th, 2007 at 3:53 am
Why not import water from the ice pack situated in the northern areas of the continent?
August 18th, 2007 at 4:43 am
SNWA is already sucking up the water rights in northern Nevada — where I was born. I would say to Utah and Idaho — watch out — you’re next!
In the 18th century frontier, people killed each other over water rights. Right now, SNWA is the big bully on the block, at least where northern Nevadans are concerned.
New pumps for Lake Mead sounds like a local solution to a local problem.
August 18th, 2007 at 4:54 am
To all you Las Vegans who fled the East to live out there. You aren’t getting our water. Ever. You fools chose to flee to the desert and leave the “Rust Belt” behind. Well, now the Rust Belt ain’t looking so bad, is it? You are welcome to return.
August 18th, 2007 at 5:05 am
Las Vegas is a desert. People should not live in the desert. I have the solution, it was Sam Kinison’s idea ” send them U-hauls, people should not live in a desert, move the people to where the food and water are.” Duh, problem solved.
August 18th, 2007 at 5:38 am
Unless vegas taps into the ocean
with de-salinization projects across southern Calif. they will be doomed to serving all, and providing nothing but excuses.
August 18th, 2007 at 6:18 am
“Posted by: Richard | August 17, 2007 at 04:29 PM
Liberals always cry about water running out, the moon falling out of the sky, the earth dying, etc.
God knew what he was doing when he made this great planet. Don’t sweat the small stuff.”
Funny stuff Richard. Yes, I’m sure God has his eyes on Sin City, maybe the water shortage is exactly what he has planned? Religous zealots… I guess you can find them under every rock, even in Vegas.
If ultra conservatives like this Richard guy would spend less time spewing hatred at “liberals” and more time helping to figure out how to build a sustainable living community things might be better off. But I’m sure he’d rather sit and fantasize about cutting my heart out with a steak knife then go out and wash his hummer than imagine that maybe building a city of millions in an area receiving less than 5 inches of rain a year.
Here are some tips though, for the few years you have left. Take out your lawns and replace them with drought resistant plants and trees (and then water them appropriately, these don’t need water even every week…) Take sensible showers. Don’t wash your cars with water.. Someone has already posted about how to wash a car without water, take the advice. I don’t want to read about mass evacuations of Vegas someday, so I really hope your state and city government wisens up and stops listening to the Richards and their pocket books and starts making sustainable policy.
Now if you’ll excuse me I’ll go to the Phonenix papers and see if I can find some more conservatives who are tucking their heads in the desert sands and spouting off about how its the liberals causing panic and that desert will sustain even more millions of people with no water.
August 18th, 2007 at 6:55 am
Vegas blows, and always has. I remember back in the 50’s when everyone thought it was cool to go to Vegas and hang out, acting like they knew a mobster or something, and I always thought they were full of it. I moved out of California (don’t get me flaming that state) to a small little community in Colorado back in 1971. It’s STILL a small little community with all of the amenities of a large city. Vegas grew unbridled while your politicians got rich, and then left. You are your own worst enemy. Stay the hell out of Colorado when you’re dying of thirst.
August 18th, 2007 at 6:56 am
Oh my. Panic, Panic. Better all sell your homes and drive the prices down even more. Panic, Panic. Just recyle your water. I do. It tastes just as good as the city stuff. You can even add some Jack Daniels to it and you won’t know the differences. This is a good article to keep all those California people from coming here. They really don’t fit in with our “community values” anyway.
August 18th, 2007 at 7:14 am
im just amazed people havent started blaming george bush?
August 18th, 2007 at 7:35 am
What do you expect, you built in the desert! You should consider the amount of water each day that is evaporated from the many swimming pools and fountains at the Casino’s. When I lived in the Mojave by Palmdale, you had to even request drinking water at a restaurant. You guys have been wasting this precious commodity for years, now it is time to pay the piper.
August 18th, 2007 at 7:43 am
Come on people quit your griping and complaining. For one thing you can’t compete with big money and politicians. But this is something the residents of the area need to address on a long term basis.
The main question is how can you re-make the potable water that you already have? Residents and businesses are going to endure some additional expensive pain.
* Residents who water lawns at 11:AM will have to pay huge fines.
* Install more efficient lawn watering and gardening systems. (Israel has developed very efficient watering systems)
* Water cooled ice machines that dump heated water into the sewage system, need to install cooling towers (not that expensive) that pump heated water to the top of the tower and lets it gravity fall to the bottom. While the water falls it releases heat and can be used again to cool the ice machine coils. This water is clean and has no need to be filtered or just let run down the drain.
* Gray water can be filtered and used again. Some people don’t want to hear this but sewage gray water (wash machines, kitchen sinks, showers) can be cleaned over and over again. There is technology on the market on a industrial scale that can make gray water more cleaner than the snow that produced it.
* On any new construction builders put two sewage systems one for gray water and one for the toilet.
People of Southern Nevada, you need to elect politicians who have a vision for Nevada that will utilize resources efficiently. All the ideas I have posted above are on the market today, Some are very expensive, some are not, but residents of Southern Nevada need to stop quarreling amongst themselves and put on a united front to force the politicians to act. But on the flip side of the coin there are conservation measures that residents can do for themselves, like turning the faucet off as soon as they are done using it.
I lived in the desert for five years and fell in love with the place (Twentynine Palms)so I know what drew many of you to the desert. Unfortunately many people won’t realize that there is a problem until they turn the water spigot on and only dust comes out.
The residents of Southern Nevada need to be educated and told the truth about the problem that you all face, and it is a problem that will effect everyone regardless of where you stand in the social pecking order.
August 18th, 2007 at 7:51 am
“Maybe we should deport the former Californians back to L.A. ”
Give this dope a pat on the back…yeah, we are the reason for your problem.
Maybe if we stuck together as a nation and faught illegal immigration, those who didn’t belong here wouldn’t be using up our resources and sucking America dry in EVERY sense. Think outside the box.
August 18th, 2007 at 7:54 am
RUN A PIPELINE FROM THE PACIFIC OCEAN TO LAS VEGAS?? Ya right. I’am sure all that digging thru CALIF. would really go over big.
August 18th, 2007 at 7:58 am
Harry Reid will ride in on his liberal white horse and get pork money attaches to some defence spending bill and save the day.
August 18th, 2007 at 8:21 am
You guys need to start saving water by: 1) stop watering the golf courses and filling your swimming pools and casino fountains; 2) Zeroscape everyone’s front and backyards; 3) outlaw car washing unless it is in a facility that reuses it’s water; 4) PRAY FOR SNOW & RAIN in the Rockies; 5) Get some realistic expectations about how long growth can continue – growth for it’s own sake is the ideaology of the cancer cell!
August 18th, 2007 at 8:24 am
Richard! WAKE UP! What the heck are you talking about? We are poluting our air.We are wasting our natural resources.I’m certain that your gods did not intend for us to squander what we have. You are the perfect example of “liberal”! You want to sit back and not take any action and trust your dieties to clean your air, provide your water and what ever else you might need while you do nothing.It seems that anyone that has the idea that “god helps those that help themselves” is tagged as a blasphemous “liberal”. How misinformed you are.
August 18th, 2007 at 8:31 am
why not build a de-saltation plant in california and pipe in all the water you people need, Israel does why not california and nevada do the same?
August 18th, 2007 at 8:34 am
Once again, the failure of laissez-faire ideology is demonstrated. Sooner or later the public wises up to the fact that the Republican Party’s anti-government ideology is bad for them. Burying oneself in the literalism of religious texts is no answer, either. It is complex to manage a large society. A good education helps — if we’re willing to fund it, and to accept that learning involves challenging orthodoxy.
August 18th, 2007 at 8:47 am
A city in the middle of a desert never made any sense, and makes even less sense now. Vegas should return to its former role as an amusement attraction, depopulate, and move to where people were meant to live; where there is water.
August 18th, 2007 at 9:26 am
You think a place that has casinos with no front doors blowing cold air out into the desert is going to get any sympathy? Puleeze! Las Vegas is the poster child for what is wrong with us all – rampant waste. Many an ancient civilization over populated, depleted their local natural resources, then scattered to the four winds of the earth. Have we learned nothing? Obviously not. “For once you were dust, and to dust you shall return.”
August 18th, 2007 at 9:37 am
North American Water and Power Alliance – Parsons Engineeing
August 18th, 2007 at 9:42 am
At 270000 acre feet per year Las Vegas has enough water for 10 million people if they don’t waste it.
Desert landscaping looks better in the desert and doesn’t waste water. Enjoy the desert beauty and don’t try to make it something else.
Toilets that flush all waste the same way are very wasteful. There are fixtures which handle urine and feces differently and save a lot of water. Toilets can also be flushed with automatically stored and pumped recycled bath water for zero extra consumption.
Appliances can be selected and used to conserver water.
All reasonable conservation measures considered, for the present quality of life the per capita daily water need is about 20 gallons instead of the present consumption of about 200!
Pricing is the key. Water rates should gradually ratchet up with the first 20 gallons per person free and the extra increasingly expensive. Raise the extra charge until consumption drops enough.
August 18th, 2007 at 10:43 am
How much of our sewage water is being reclaimed for non-potable uses? Hmmm?
August 18th, 2007 at 11:09 am
Here’s an idea:
Tell Mexico that until it secures the border and stops the flow of illegals moving north, the US will close the floodgates on it’s dams on the Colorado flowing south. This will fill up all the lakes and replenish our water supplies, and stop illegal immigration virtually overnight.
Simple. We will stop the free-flow of water until you stop the free-flow of people.
I also find it interesting how much enjoyment people are getting out of Vegas’ misery. These are the same people living in the paths of hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquake faults, etc, etc. They scream like hell for federal help and national sympathy when their trailer gets carried off by a twister in Tornado Alley. Then they promptly rebuild/replace whatever they were living in on the same site, sometimes using taxpayer dollars. Just slightly hypocritical.
August 18th, 2007 at 11:20 am
you need to look into this company, they can solve the problem…I am a stockholder.
http://www.worldwater.com/
August 18th, 2007 at 11:24 am
http://www.worldwater.com/
August 18th, 2007 at 11:27 am
Too many new homes, too many new people. Put a moratorium on growth until you have 10x as much water as you need. Vegas’ greed for growth is sucking the life out of western rivers. Enough is enough. Idiots.
August 18th, 2007 at 11:59 am
STOP BUILDING!!! You have enough Casinos & Houses, look at all the empty houses you have. And the Casinos aren’t that full, even on New Years.. Everyone just wants to be better then the next guy, and look at what cost it is to you now. All the mega resorts and golf courses won’t do much for a dried up desert. Las Vegas did it to themselves..
August 18th, 2007 at 12:00 pm
Simple Solution #1: Deport the thousands of illegal aliens who have no business being in the area and consuming our resources! Sorry folks, but lots of illegals working ‘under the table’ and remitting their pay back to Mexico, Honduras, Russia, etc. while consuming expensive services and natural resources does NOT contribute meaningfully to our economy or environment. It’s not ‘American’ to let freeloaders from around the world skim off the hard work of American citizens and LEGAL immigrant workers in this country. Those who are incapable of figuring this out or too lazy to research for themselves are entitled to their opinions, but are traitors none the less.
Simple Solution #2: LIMIT DEVELOPMENT and urban sprawl. Local leaders need not bend their knee to the greed of developers. Fewer people = reduced water consumption. There are plenty of people in the area already reducing the quality of life here and fattening the wallets of developers. Enough is enough!
Amazing how a little political will can quicly address a problem. The real problem though is a lack of political leadership who don’t worship at the alter of political correctness.
August 18th, 2007 at 12:08 pm
I have lived in Vegas since l977 so the water company can’t pull the wool over my eyes!
Most important, get those darn fountains up and down the stip to close! Second stop taking kickbacks from the owners of these propertys for the OK to build another blooming fountain! Third stop giving California half our water. Help the public to figure out how to get rid of our lawns, includes me, and still have some form of yard, I mean no ones wants a desert for a yard, scorpions, tarantulas, black widows, snakes, etc……heck if I could afford it I would move back to California where they have rain and green lush settings…buttttttt California homes are a fortune, one that I don’t have to give…
August 18th, 2007 at 12:12 pm
Panic, panic, panic. That’s all the media is about these days.
The housing market collapse will take care of this problem already.
August 18th, 2007 at 12:39 pm
The solution is so simple… JUST LIVE LIKE YOU ARE LIVING IN A DESERT WITH LIMITED WATER. Treat every drop of water like it was your last.
August 18th, 2007 at 12:41 pm
Whole lot of reading!! Why are most people so NOW oe ME oriented ?A whole lot of comments veer to over population, while most of these are probably pro-life zealots. Some talk of having every one move out of state ? Only in the sum of all of the hidden permanent fixes is the answer . All avenues need to be incorporated , from desalination plants to pipelines from afar , to how we use this very limited product . Many times the price of bottled water has been compared to the price of gasoline , but you can live with out gasoline , not without water . This whole hype is just another example of how the citizens of the United States have let the government make them reliant on the government for daily sustinance , while the government buries much larger and more damaging agenda ,for the good of the most wealthy only . Lake Las Vegas ????
August 18th, 2007 at 1:00 pm
Stop the corrupt politicians who keep allowing builder to build tens of thousands of homes each year and mega resorts with fountains worthy of the Gods. We all know that Las Vegas politics is corrupt. As soon as the pockets are lined, and the water is dry; those politicians will all be sitting by their pools in California, next door to the the politicians down there who keep the water flowing from Lake Mead. Marshal Law, Marshal Law, sieze the water thats in our state. Screw California, they have been screwing the country for years. We have to stop the Caliban…
August 18th, 2007 at 1:04 pm
This is what happens when you build a city in the desert. Should have never been built in the first place.
August 18th, 2007 at 1:08 pm
It’s only a matter of time before potable water and oil runout, and we’re mining the abandon suburban McMansions for copper pipe, wire, 2×4’s, and aluminum siding.
Make sure your next house is on a big south facing lot below the frost line, is defendable, has room for a big garden, some chickens, a donkey, and has a couple wells drilled.
Goodluck Nevada.
August 18th, 2007 at 1:33 pm
This article is a joke. $45 million is hardly 3 days profit from the gambling industries. But that is what happens when you put profits before people…
August 18th, 2007 at 1:36 pm
Let me see if I have this right. We’re supposed to let all our plants die, enjoy beautiful tumbleweed landscaping, take one minute showers, buy special non-water-flushing toilets and limit our water use to ‘20 gallons per day’ just so we can make sure there’s plenty of water for all the new mega resorts and condos that are going up faster than the lake level is falling? Sounds like a winner of a solution! Hey, maybe Knott’s Berry Farm will buy Las Vegas and turn it into a popular ghost town attraction.
August 18th, 2007 at 1:36 pm
This article is a joke. $45 million is hardly 3 days profit from the gambling industries. But that is what happens when you put profits before people…
August 18th, 2007 at 1:40 pm
The time has come to STOP dishing out building permits.
YOU’VE over built this city and we don’t have enough H20. We have approx. 24000 EMPTY HOMES. HELLO!!
Our TOWN LEADERS NEED to SAY NO to the Greedy Builders who just don’t get enough. STOP BUILDING UNTIL THINGS BALANCE OUT!!! LIKE IF EVER!!!
You RUINED RED ROCK, YOUR FILLING IN THE WASHES TO BUILD HOMES; YOU SHOULD ALL BE ASHAMED, YOU GREEDY PEOPLE.
NO one on the WATER COMMITTEE should be on any other BOARD. Like the BUILDING ONE.
WAKE UP PEOPLE, TRY DOING THE RIGHT THING FOR ONCE. OH, IT WOULDN”T LINE YOU POCKETS!!! DUH!
August 18th, 2007 at 1:49 pm
We should start building a lake site. The Government must stop letting illegals stay.
August 18th, 2007 at 3:04 pm
You live in a desert! What did you think was going to happen?
August 18th, 2007 at 3:26 pm
People sould not be dumb enough to live in the dessert. They have known for years of the water shortage and the state sould stop the building of more homes and bussiness , until a solution to the problem is found. Furter growth is not a wise thing
, other areas are also in the same boat. Time to be prudent with the avlability of water reasourses.
August 18th, 2007 at 5:00 pm
Enforce the Immigration Laws!!!!!
In the sixties the government came into the schools and brainwashed us as little children that there wasn’t going to be enough resources like water, fuel, room on the highways and many other things. They called it, “Zero Population Growth”.
Just what more do they want from me!!!!!
August 18th, 2007 at 5:34 pm
I used to live in Utah, and there were people there who said that there’s a huge aquifer under southern Utah. I’ve never understood why they haven’t tapped that. With the worldwater.com 1000 horsepower pumps they could send a lot of it a long ways toward Vegas.
Maybe a half dozen pump stations and voila, they could probably double the supply and not have to take so much surface water. The Grand Canyon lakes would benefit from not draining so much water from them.
August 18th, 2007 at 5:38 pm
Las Vegas is the desert..what dumbo decided to build golf courses and waste all that water..
No water to drink? Drink Champagne
No sympathy for stupidity..
August 18th, 2007 at 6:58 pm
When water gets expensive enough for Nevada to build solar desalination plants in the California desert our problems will be solved. There is no need to build an expensive pipeline all the way to the Pacific Ocean. If Nevada funds part of such a project we will simply trade this water for part of California’s allocation of the Colorado River.
Do you know that California is allocated 58% of the lower basin while Nevada only gets 4%?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_River_Compact
August 18th, 2007 at 7:59 pm
Two ideas to solve this issue:
1) We build a desalination plant in CA and trade that new clean water to CA for their share of the Colorado River.
2) Change our dysfunctional pricing system of water. The more one uses, the higher the price. When businesses/people begin to pay more for wasting water, they’ll use less.
August 18th, 2007 at 8:31 pm
*Vegas’ water supply is from the colorado river, the river is not drying up, the water will still flow, our 2% allocation has reached its limit with population, we either find other sources or get our 2% allocation increased.
*All of vegas’ sewage is collected and treated then released back into lake mead for reuse. Also all storm waters are channeled to lake mead.
*Our water depends on the snow in the rocky mountains. The drought that has affected all of the west has resulted in less snowpack.
*Through multiple dams and resevoirs the colorado river flows 7.5 million acre feet annually. Vegas receives 2%, California 60%, Arizona 38%. If Arizona farmers quit farming in the desert, Nevada could receive 10x more water and sustain growth into the 10’s of millions. Yes the resevoirs are decreasing, only due to the drought, the resevoirs can handle this temporary drought. The river still flows at 7.5 million acre feet annually, as it has pre-drought, thats what the resevoirs are for.
*As recent as 2000 the spill ways on hoover dam were opened to relieve the excess water. Not the first drought, nor the last, that why the dams and resevoirs were developed.
August 18th, 2007 at 9:26 pm
The solution is relatively simple; double the price of water.
August 18th, 2007 at 9:44 pm
During the 1970s and ’80s, our government officials and economic leaders insisted we reduce family size to prevent environmental degradation, depleting natural resources and a lower quality of life. We complied.
http://www.numbersusa.com/overpopulation/ourlostfuture.html
Today, the government tells us we need more immigrant population to fund the baby boom generation during retirement. So, either they are lying now, or they were lying then. Since the 1965 immigration act, we have increased our population by 50 percent, mostly from immigration, while descendants of our Founding Fathers are dying off, realizing children are unaffordable unless you are wealthy or on welfare.
We have major water shortages in the United States, yet still more immigrants come, as our government demands more conservation from U.S. citizens. The United States has the third largest population in the world, next only to China and India; what they have in common is poverty.
These same officials insist immigrants are doing jobs we won’t do, which is false; we can’t do these jobs for less than livable wages. The government explains how immigrants will finance SSI and Medicare for U.S. retirees, yet immigrants spend $1 in taxes for every $3 they receive in social services, according to http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20070405-123141-6880r.htm
Our government is corrupt and must be replaced. Do your patriotic duty and oust them, or live in the squalor you will have created by doing nothing.
August 18th, 2007 at 10:25 pm
I think the story you ran tonight about the 6 yr oldboy getting hit by the car was insensitive and inapropiate would you like to see your child’s matted hair embedded in some one’s windshild? Where does common sense take over presidence of who get’s the best coverage? that sikenend me! Imagine what that child’s familey must be thinking?
August 18th, 2007 at 10:26 pm
Pat Mulroy has been warning you for years. Like a drunk on a binge, Las Vegas just couldn’t say no to anyone with a buck to bribe with. Building more casino’s and endless tracts of homes that the water supply could never support has been front page news there for years. Greed, greed, greed. Erin Kenny, anyone? No amount of bribery is going to get you out of this one. Could have solved this long ago with population control and legitimate planning… limiting growth to available resources. Now its time for the drunks to sober up. Billions of dollars worth of pipelines won’t help, because any new water will be the excuse to continue drinking, err boom times.
Robert E. got it right. If you can’t make more water, then decrease demand. Deport all the illegals who aren’t entitled to the resources in the first place. From what I see that should about double Las Vegas’ available water resources. A moratorium on new developments will hurt no one, except the developers who by the way, are the ones responsible for the mess you are in anyway. Now they’re rich and the people are left holding the empty water bottle. By all means conserve. But most of all, STOP building homes when there’s no water!
August 19th, 2007 at 12:31 am
Alot of the info you people have posted is very very true, however, you have left a few things out. (1) why not ration water to Calif. They use all they want and we are now starting to see the end result. (2) When they built all the new hotels and remodeling the older ones why wasn’t a demand on them to put in those water faucets in the sinks in rooms that use motion to turn on? (3) How about low flow toilets and shower heads?
Wake up hotels and do you part.
August 19th, 2007 at 4:28 am
For 4 years, we have offered SNWA a Source solution, the development of which will not damage the water rights of anyone; it is fresh water; it is twice the amount NV receives from the Colorado River; if it is developed in cooperation/coordination with other entities, the cost is quite economical and pursuit of the Source does not interfere with SNWA’s existing projects….in fact, every SNWA plan is greatly enhanced ! If SNWA chooses not to pursue the Source, the cost of knowing the Source is zero. Sierra Pacific has recommended in writing that SNWA investigate the possibilities. All SNWA has to do is provide a procedure for us to disclose and have our intellectual property protected…its SNWA’s move…waterrdw@yahoo.com
August 19th, 2007 at 5:09 am
To now it’s obvious: The reason desalination plants aren’t built in California is because the eco-whores yell and scream that it will destroy their enjoyment of the coastline. And the californicators crumble under the weight of the eco-whores which is why they’re in such a bad economic condition.
August 19th, 2007 at 5:10 am
To now it’s obvious: The reason desalination plants aren’t built in California is because the eco-whores yell and scream that it will destroy their enjoyment of the coastline. And the californicators crumble under the weight of the eco-whores which is why they’re in such a bad economic condition.
August 19th, 2007 at 8:17 am
Technology is the answer! For many years desalination technology has been used in many countries around the world. For example Mexico cities like Cabo San Lucas and Cancun, and places like Israel in the Middle East use large scale desalination plants to produce water.
Due to the alluvial system and water rights of the Western US all water is appropriated down stream which means a set amount of water is mandated to be allowed to flow from one reservoir to the next to allow other entities to use their water. Down the Colorado River water is released from large reservoirs such as Lake Powel and Lake Mead to allow residents in LA to have needed water.
The use of technology and reversing the flow of water could be the answer. First, build large scale desalination plants in California and pipe the water to storage locations to be used by Southern CA. A water swap can then be made with the desalination water for keeping water in places like Lake Mead for Las Vegas. As more water is “produced” more water can be traded and kept upstream.
This will come at a cost, but I am sure if any place can find the money, it would be Las Vegas.
August 19th, 2007 at 8:31 am
A DUH,, What do you expect when you live in a desert. A lush tropical paradise???
August 19th, 2007 at 9:57 am
GEE ALL THAT GREEN GRASS IN THE DESERT, DAH
August 19th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
Do what the military did in Iraq, make water from thin air. It cost about 30 cents a gallon. That’s cheaper than bottle water. Also, they use a portable 20-foot machine that churns out 600 gallons of water a day. Perhaps several larger permanent machines might bring the price down. (See: http://www.wired.com/print/science/discoveries/news/2006/10/71898). There are also a number of Atmospheric Water Generators you can google on the internet.
August 19th, 2007 at 2:40 pm
YOU SEE THIS? HUH? THIS IS SAND. KNOW WHAT IT’S GONNA BE A HUNDRED YEARS FROM NOW? IT’S GONNA BE SAND! YOU LIVE IN A @#!$%&* DESERT!
August 19th, 2007 at 3:28 pm
To all of those close-minded people who say that people who moved to Las Vegas both legally and illegally should go home: that’s an idiotic response to the issue.
Getting people, no matter where they are from or whether or not they broke laws to get here, to conserve water is the answer.
Stop local businesses from having water features of any kind — are you listening people who own the Bellagio? — and also from using misters would save a great deal of water, literally hundreds of gallons a day.
And then stop people from wasting water by filling up their swimming pools — are you listening people in Summerlin? — so they can take a dip once or twice a summer.
Also, make people pay heavy taxes for putting in plants of any kind when they build or even when they work on their present yard, garden, whatever. You would see people stop wasting water to spritz their plants now and again very quickly.
It’s a very simple plan, just stop using water to make your life more comfortable and remember that we are all here to make EVERYONE’S life more comfortable. And to do this we’re going to have to tighten our collective belts.
Thanks,
CF
August 19th, 2007 at 3:55 pm
Two Points! We have over fifty golf courses in our valley, and that’s too many. Put a moratorium on building any more, as they use an awful lot of water to keep those fairways green.
Secondly, what about the engineer that has pin-pointed an underground river, but our water company won’t do business with him. The water company’s position is ‘You tell us where it is, then we’ll do business with you’. The engineer’s position is ‘Let’s work out something first! I’ll even prove it at my own expense!’ I wouldn’t trust the water company either! Why won’t the company agree to something? No water, no payment! What can we loose?
August 19th, 2007 at 7:53 pm
This really isn’t new, the fact that the growing population of the Las Vegas region is far beyond what can be realistically sustained by the water resources available is old news! So when will de-population start? Thats the only solution!
August 19th, 2007 at 7:57 pm
I wrote to Secretary Norton when she was secretary that we should invest in 4 foot by 8 foot by 4 -INCH- thick styrofoam sheets to begin to cover a percentage of Lake Mead to at least cut down on the unnecessary surface evaporation. This should be done with all of our waters, including the American Canal to LA. Perhaps the manufacturer would agree to make larger and thicker pieces of styrofoam. Serious laws must be passed against anyone monkeying around with the styrofoam. Pieces can be nylon roped together life preserver style.
August 19th, 2007 at 8:28 pm
Why is the Las Vegas area not implementing restrictions on growth? Several California cities have for years put in slow to no growth plans due to lack of resources to support development. Yet the Las Vegas valley still builds without worry of water or roads. Apparently money talks. Seems people are afraid to be proactive here until we can’t support those who live here. Growth should be based on factors such as water supply, roads and any infracture needed to support the constant building. I believe it’s time to put the brakes on until our lack of resources are solved.
August 19th, 2007 at 9:05 pm
Hey Vegas! Quit your whining! YOU put yourselves in the position you are in by your uncontrolled sprawl in a desert! Hit the Bellagio up if you need water…they seem to have plenty.
August 19th, 2007 at 9:45 pm
Let’s amnesty 20 million illegal aliens. Let’s not enforce the border so that another 20, 40, 60 million can “immigrate” illegally. Let’s help them multiply quickly (4, 6, 8 kids per “migrant” family). And then, let’s try to blame water shortages on racism, Conservatives, and global warming.
Population explosion, almost entirely due to immigration (legal and otherwise), is the main culprit here. It also adds to urban sprawl, air and water pollution, rising gas and electricity prices, and overall crowdedness. Interestingly, all those concerned about the environment never even mention the immigration-propelled population growth.
August 19th, 2007 at 10:05 pm
Posted by: Josh | August 18, 2007 at 10:43 AM
At 270000 acre feet per year Las Vegas has enough water for 10 million people if they don’t waste it.
It’s pure Malthusianism (growing population to its limits set by available resources) to say so. With ideas like yours, humanity will be always struggling with shortages. It’s much better to maintain the optimum size of population in the L.V. (and in U.S.) and not trying to push it to maximum.
August 20th, 2007 at 3:30 am
increase the rate. look how many time Nevada power does it. if you want the green lawn you just have to pay. turn off the water while you brush your teeth
August 20th, 2007 at 6:24 am
More doomsday, more armagedon. December 21, 2012 the end of days according to the Mayan Calendar.
In case you haven’t checked lately this planet is 75% water. Oh No! We’re going to run out.
Get a real job and stop trying to justify your existence with doomsday prohecies.
August 20th, 2007 at 6:50 am
i am a 5th generation resident to hurricane prone south.Natives here like them because they replentish our water and help keep yankees from moving in. we dont have a water problem. then again we dont live in a desert. i have been to vegas many times. i bet that if ther werent so many golf courses and fountains your water supply would not be in jeapardy.stop the waste. xeroscsape. just dont expect me to bail you out after you have squandered your resources.
August 20th, 2007 at 6:57 am
I’ve lived here for over 40 years. We have ALWAYS been a stupid city/county concerning water waste. My best friend lives in Pahrump. They HAVE to USE their water by growing something (hay or whatever) otherwise they LOSE their water rights. Just ONE of the many examples of stupid water management ideas here in Nevada. But not stopping growth in the Vegas Valley is the BIGGEST problem. And as we have seen, so many of our city/county ELECTED and not elected officials are on the take under the table, that we will never put a break on growth. Too bad I didn’t sell my house when the getting was good!
August 20th, 2007 at 7:07 am
Drive through Silverado Ranch any day and see the constant stream of water running down the street from people watering grass!!!!!
August 20th, 2007 at 8:44 am
Desalination is a red herring. Relying on more burning fossil fuel to desalinate ocean water and pump it 1000 miles is insane. Stop letting greedy developers build casinos and houses no one is buying. There will be plenty of foreclosures and defaults in the next two years as the housing bubble fully collapses, that may buy you some time to get smart.
try these:
http://www.amazon.com/Voluntary-Simplicity-Revised-Outwardly-Inwardly/dp/0688121195/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-9158573-6146431?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1187624437&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/Long-Emergency-Converging-Catastrophes-Twenty-First/dp/0802142494/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-9158573-6146431?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1187624537&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/Partys-Over-Richard-Heinberg/dp/1905570007/ref=pd_bbs_3/002-9158573-6146431?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1187624591&sr=1-3
http://www.amazon.com/PowerDown-Options-Actions-Post-Carbon-World/dp/0865715106/ref=pd_sim_b_1/002-9158573-6146431?ie=UTF8&qid=1187624591&sr=1-3
August 20th, 2007 at 11:10 am
People need to remember that many people over the last 40 years have tried to do something about the water use in Southern Nevada. They tried to get the county to ban ALL grass, including parks, and use nothing but desert landscaping. There was an attempt to ban swimming pools except for some country pools and those should be indoors. Unfortunately this country has NEVER listened because they were too greedy. Greedy for new residents so that Las Vegas could become a BIG city. Well they got their wish and now the problem is bigger than anyone really knows. As to the underground aquifer, yes it exists and it is being emptied out at a rate that will cause sinking just like Windsor Park over 40 years ago. In some instances the sink holes there swollowed up whole houses. You can’t just empty out an aquafer without consequences. The air pocket left behind will eventually collapse causing sink holes. Underground rivers may exist but I will bet money they are contaminated with uranium and or plutonium due to the underground testing at the Nevada Test Site. They wont’t admit to it but years ago water was found in one or more of the caverns created by nuclear testing. The people that worked there begged the scientists to put dye in the water so it could be determined as to where the water was going. The scientists said they didn’t care where it was going and wouldn’t put the dye in the water. Good ole “MAN’S INHUMANITY TO MAN.” So as you can see the lack of forsight and concern is now coming back to “haunt” us. And still the county “mothers and fathers” will not do what needs to be done starting with a building moratorium. They can no longer use the excuse of what it will do to the cost of housing. That has already happened. So the question now is WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM BESIDES TAKING WATER FROM OTHER AREAS OF NEVADA?
August 20th, 2007 at 11:40 am
My friend and I walk for exercise almost every morning and every day we see the same stream of water coming from Spanish Vista development, not a trickle it is a stream of water. He has complained to the water company and twice stopped a water company truck and pointed out the stream. But nothing has been done to correct it, and it has been at least 3 months. It’s enough to fill several pools a day. Stop this wasteful misuse of water and we might not have such a horrible problem.
August 21st, 2007 at 6:27 am
I have called the Water Authority regarding my neighbor who is flooding my backyard with water. The person answering the phone told me that the neighbor had used 5 swimming pools worth of water in one month. I was told that there was nothing the water authority could do. I have spoken to the neighbor, but nothing has been done. The flooding has been on going for about 1 year.
August 21st, 2007 at 3:58 pm
I lived in Las Vegas for almost 30 years. I couldn’t wait to get out. Las Vegas has gone to hell in a hand basket! Too many politicians and too many greedy developers paying politicians under the table. If this is not true, then why don’t the politicians stop the growth? They don’t seem to care about the water situation so apparently they can afford to take the loss when their homes…along with yours, will be worthless when the water is all gone. Think about it. If you think there isn’t going to be a water problem in the future….you are sooooo mistaken. The SNVWD can’t secure water for the valley now, so they have gone to the extreme of buying all the ranches up through Lincoln County and White Pine County just to get the water. And…have you seen the prices they are paying just to get those ranches? Who do you think is going to pay for all this? And they haven’t even started that pipeline yet! You…the residants of Las Vegas Valley are going to pay and you are going to pay dearly. Then…what are you going to do when all that water is gone? Where is Murloy going to go next to secure water for your valley? It will stop and it will stop abruptly. You will be the poor soles that loose out. The powers that be are financially well to do…how about you? If you can’t afford to take a loss on your property, you had better sell now to some stupid fool that doesn’t know about the water situation…and sell fast! I’m glad I did, but now I have to worry about Las Vegas taking our water. Las Vegas is 131.2 Square Miles. You have a golf course for every 9.37 square miles or you did as of 2005. You have 5000 new people on average, moving to Las Vegas every month. The Lake is dropping at a scary rate. You can’t continue to use water at the rate you are using it and expect everything to be fine. Stand up and protest…stop the growth, stop letting people build pools and fountains. When you are spending half your paychecks to keep water coming out of your faucets, go to your nearest golf course and see how green the grass is. Go to the Belagio and watch the pretty fountains go off. They may recycle the water, but every time they shoot up, water evaporates. Every time the golf courses turn on the sprinklers, you have evaporation. The same for your parks. It’s nice to have parks to visit, but when you can’t wash your clothes or your car or make coffee, go visit the parks. It will make everything alright……NOT!
Get a grip! STOP THE GROWTH AND SAVE WHAT WATER YOU HAVE. YOU ARE GOING TO NEED IT REAL SOON!
August 21st, 2007 at 4:50 pm
When are the people going to learn, we have hit the limit.
There is not enough water for all the growth, all beit ill-advised
grothw! There is not enough water now; How is Harvey Whittemore going to build all those new houses and TEN!!!! new golf courses?????????????????????????
August 21st, 2007 at 5:59 pm
Why not just shut the outflow of the dam by 20%? California has enough resources to get power from other sites and irrigation water from the ground. The water table in SoCal is NOT that deep, besides, it’s no more screwed up than our own ground water.
August 21st, 2007 at 6:16 pm
Why is it so hard for southern nevada to keep up with the population growth and water concerns? I don’t see how this problem could have escalated over the years and now that time is running out they are trying to “bully” water from neighboring states. Obviously, it wasn’t a priority when they were running the advertisment to conserve water or when they set the watering guidelines that no one follows. So why is it a high priority now?
August 21st, 2007 at 6:22 pm
The obvious solution to our water problem is to force EVERYONE to convert to desert landscaping. Steve Wynn’s mountain should look like Red Rock. We should also triple the cost of water.
We should develop a cadre of citizen vigilantes to secretly report any of their neighbor’s infractions and the offenders will have to wear yellow stars on their clothes for identification.
Finally we should start another eighty housing developments. When they are all sold, we can come up with even more draconian measures. I’m sure our political “leaders” will go along with this.
August 21st, 2007 at 6:56 pm
I for one am sick and tired of half baked solutions to serious resource problems. There needs to a Mississippi River Valley Project to collect or relaim flood waters & send that flow across the Midwest as WATER STEPS TO THE DESERT, DEPOSITING THE WATER IN RESAVOIRS FOR HYDOELECTRIC USE, ATOMIC STEAM PRESS & IRRIGATION — flowing from the Mississippi River Valley to the Colorado River, to the Rio Grand, then naturally to the Gulf of Mexico. A shunt can also be added for Southern California and back to the Gulf. Petty Foggers be darned!
August 21st, 2007 at 7:03 pm
TO ALL YOU PEOPLE WHO ARE SAYING LAS VEGAS SUCKS STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM US. YOU HAVE ALL BEEN COMING HERE FOR YEARS AND ENJOYING IT BUT NOW YOU TURN ON US LIKE A PACK OF DOGS WELL WE DONT WANT YOU HERE AND WE WILL MAKE IT ON THE WATER WE HAVE. YOU ALL ENJOY YOUR RAIN AND HAIL AND TORNADO OR WHATEVER YOUR STATE HAS WE WILL SURVIVE…WE HAVE THE MONEY TO DO IT
August 21st, 2007 at 9:32 pm
What does Las Vegas do with its sanitary and storm waters?
With only a limited amount of water, a recycling system of that waste and toilet water could be used over and over again.
Las Vegas could collect all of its toilet and waste waters by its sewers and pipe it to a treatment plant and purify it into drinking water for reuse in Las Vegas. You have your source within your grasp, if you treat it properly instead of discarding it and losing it to a river. The sewage treatment plant’s effluent should become the major influent supply for your water treatment plant.
Astronauts have that system on all of their spacecrafts.
The water you drink in the morning could be the water you drink in the evening.
Be an example to the rest of the nation and the world, and Las Vegas will be renowned 100 years from now, for solving the water problem.
August 21st, 2007 at 10:06 pm
quick way to save those endangered chubs… have each human family send one or two children to the soylent green processing facility.
one bambino less consuming water oughta save a dozen or more of those threatened fish.
August 21st, 2007 at 10:08 pm
As a Brit who moved to Las Vegas ten years ago, I was astonished to find just how profligate everybody was with water. Do the schools not teach the meaning of desert anymore? Then I find that the Clark County Commission is in the pockets of the developers (no G-sting needed for that news) and that the answer to development will always be yes. Add to that the fact that the people who should know the water situation and be advising moderation in growth, the SNWA, NEVER object to development plans. Hmm.
Then I saw an infamous Channel 8 interview with Pat Mulroy where the interviewer linked growth to our water shortage. For the rest of the interview, Ms Mulroy would not look at the camera nor look the interviewer in the eye. Now there’s a clue. Has she and the rest of the SNWA been in the pay of the developers, or was she simply afraid of some high velocity brain surgery if she linked growth and water problems in public? I leave the reader to judge, but I REALLY hope the G-sting gang are reading this blog.
In my not so humble opinion, Pat Mulroy and the rest of the SNWA have mismanaged the water in the Las Vegas valley for some time. Their efforts to conserve now are too little, too late. The SNWA should have said “NO” to at least 50% of the development in the last ten years. As for their attempts to steal water from elsewhere, why are they surprised when the owners and users of that water fight back? DOH!
Another Channel 8 interview a while back had a developer (Jim Rhodes, I think) stating “We cannot let the single issue of water stifle growth in the Valley.” What a crock. What will it take to convince these idiots, people dying from thirst in the streets? The housing market is down the pan anyway, so get on with it and do the right thing; pull the plug on anymore building until stricter savings can be achieved and Lake Mead is at a reasonable level once again. Too simplistic, disastrous for the economy and downright un-American you say. Fine, just call me back when your tap runs dry and we’ll talk some more.
August 22nd, 2007 at 3:27 pm
I red many of the comments and noticed that there is some misunderstanding in the water issue. Water is being recycled in the valley. It comes from Lake Mead, goes back there, comes back to the Valley again, and so on and so on. All water that ends up in Las Vegas Wash will end up in Lake Mead. Unless, of course, it evaporates.
Yes, we cannot regulate the growth in the Valley, it seems. With that said, it seems only too ghostly evident how similar the situation in Vegas is to the subprime loan market that is now hurting the local home owners. We are growing at any cost and at any rate. We are growing, even though we do not have the resources to grow. Remember from subprime: we were selling, even when we were not supposed to sell. Clearly unethical. Like subprime issues, this issue with water is turning into an issue how we are trying to keep capitalism alive and well, businesses alive and owners and investors happy with hefty returns. Ironically though, if Las Vegas does not grow, we cannot generate all those low paying jobs, that only generate income that barely passes the minimum wage level. Who are we fooling? In my books that is not worth the trouble!
I am certain we have grown past the population capacity that we can sustain meaningful living in the Valley. We are living in the desert and changing environment. The global warming is reality. The climate is not going to get any wetter anytime soon. The climate has already gotten drier in many other places in the globe. We are dealing with an issue that is beyond our borders, but starts from our tailpipes!
When the water taps run dry, are we going to pay homeowners to vacate? Do we have to start water negotiations with Canada? Like natural gas and oil, maybe we need to start building long pipelines for water. Not possible? It has been done for oil in Alaska and Siberia and natural gas lines criss cross USA from coast to coast. Remember, there was a time when trans continental railroad was only a dream. We have advanced a lot from those days. We will have to make some more of these giant dreams come true for better future.
August 26th, 2007 at 3:29 pm
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