Have you seen Lake Meade lately?
Posted on 07/30/2005 9:10:19 AM PDT by Orange1998
Las Vegas is world-renowned as a city of fantasy, flaunting its reputation for excess.
It appears a green oasis of refrigerated plenty, set in a blazing desert.
But environmentalists warn water supplies could run dry within the next 50 years; while urban sprawl is out of control and development is encroaching on protected areas.
No matter how you arrive in Las Vegas, by car or plane, you are immediately struck by the stark contrast of a lush city against a barren desert that stretches in all directions.
Yet, this is a region in the grip of one of the worst droughts on record.
Water myths
Las Vegas consumes around 870 litres (190 gallons) of water per person per day, according to the Western Resource Advocates group.
And each day countless tourists wander up and down the Strip, in awe of dancing fountains, sinking pirate ships, tropical landscaping, pools and many more water features.
But this is one of "Sin City's" greatest myths. Local hotels account for just 7% of the area's total water usage, according to the Southern Nevada Water Authority.
It seems there are too few of us that are willing to stand up and say we need to protect our environment
Jeff van Ee, Southern Nevada Planning Authority It is a statistic often repeated by Jaime Cruz, energy manager with the MGM Mirage Corporation.
"The hotel casinos use only 30% of their water allocation on outdoor use, while 70% is used indoors in rooms and kitchens and that water is reclaimed and used again," says Cruz.
"Even though the Bellagio has the largest water feature on the Strip, it benefits from ground water. We are consuming less water than when it was functioning as a golf course when it was the old Dunes (hotel)."
But when you look at the residential statistics, the figures are reversed.
Water authorities estimate around 70% of residential water is used outdoors, washing the car and irrigating the lawns, and only 30% is used indoors.
Although Nevada has been banking excess water from the Colorado River in Arizona, environmentalists fear this is a short-term solution.
Jeff van Ee, an environmental activist and a member of the Southern Nevada Planning Authority, fears that, "in 15-20 years from now, our current supplies will be overtaxed and we will need to find an alternate source of water."
The SNWA hopes a $2m 555km pipeline from central Nevada could be the answer to the future water needs of Las Vegas.
But farmers and residents in rural parts of the state are unwilling to share the precious resource and it is becoming a battle known as "craps versus crops".
"A lot of people [in central Nevada] are seeing the impact this could have on their way of life and on the springs and natural habitat, and they're saying that as fabulous as Las Vegas may be - this plan to tap ground water is not the best alternative for rural Nevada," Mr van Ee explains.
Explosive growth
Rural farmers have now pressed the Bureau of Land Management to expend the public consultation period for the planned pipeline until the beginning of August.
Nevada State senate majority leader Dina Titus says this a problem that is been compounded by explosive growth in the region.
"Right now, 6,000 people a month are moving to this valley because the weather is good, the taxes are low and there are plenty of jobs," she said.
In 2003, Senator Titus was responsible for a controversial bill that ensured the conservation of Red Rock Canyon, a national park just on the outskirts of the city.
And like many a fellow environmentalist, she is concerned that urban sprawl is now encroaching on surrounding conservation areas like Lake Mead, Spring Mountain and Red Rock Canyon.
"If you can't build enough schools - and it takes one school a month to keep up with the growth - then you lose quality of life. We need to get a handle on the growth and start planning for the future," Senator Titus told the BBC.
Mr Van Ee laments that the town he arrived in some 20 years ago is now the fastest growing urban area in the country.
"It seems there are too few of us that are willing to stand up and say we need to protect our environment."
Huh???? This can't be true. Can you imagine what goes down the pipes in Las Vegas.
One of the largest dams in the world and its huge resultant lake are less than an hour away. Las Vegas is not going to run out of water. What a crock.
Lawns in the desert?
Why not import some moisture condensation technology from planet, Tattoine?
I'm assuming they're talking about Walker Lake, in which case they're going to be sorely disappointed--it's drying up faster than Lake Mead.
Boy, I don't know. I think this is a major problem for the desert cities, especially as they grow. I've heard that Phoenix is also facing the same problem.
More people and bigger cities equal hotter temperatures and more water use. It could be a problem.
Have you seen Lake Meade lately?
historically you are correct, however the west is in the middle of a historically large and significant drought at the moment...
There has been talk of sucking water out of our Great Lakes to supply LA, Vegas and Phoenix with water. No way -- people here will fight that tooth and nail. It's our water (well, half of it anyway. The other half belongs to Canada).
They live in a DESERT. Deal with it.
The article fails to mention that Las Vegas has consumed 10% less water than the previous year for two years in a row.
The water conservation programs are working - even better than the experts thought.
This is inspite of 6,000 people per month moving here.
For example, our new house, under construction cannot have grass in the front yard - we can in the back if we wish.
It is run through water treatment and put back in the lake or used for irrigation in the landscaping.
So Cal is pumping the lake dry. The feds long ago gave Kali the water rights to most of the Colorado River's water based on population.
The real solution here is the *gasp!* unthinkable of putting So Cal on desalination.
The enviro-kooks only goals here are to stop all new development, and to stop 'decadent' use of resources. Aka bringing everyone in the area down to third world standards.
I don't know why any serious journalist or policy maker even includes enviro-kooks in debates about things like water resources.
The solution is to fence California off at Bakersfield and turn off the water. Then, the Mecha crowd can have whatever is left.
Lake Meade is at 60% of capacity. That picture must be from your back yard.
Dina Titus is a communist. Anything she says should be taken with a grain of salt.
What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.
Vegas needs to come to grips with the fact that lawns in a very hot desert ain't practical. A lot of folks in the Phoenix and Tucson area have fine looking front lawns without a speck of grass.
BTW...I live in SoCal and get not a drop of water from the Colorado or the snobs in NoCal.
What does Pahrump have to say about the deal?
Bingo!! Thats the big problem.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.