Thread: Severe water shortage in Las Vegas within 3 years

Edward Lawrence, Reporter
Clock is Ticking on Las Vegas' Water Supply
http://lasvegasnow.com/Global/story.asp ... =menu102_2
Aug 17, 2007 06:43 PM EDT

The news coming from the Southern Nevada Water Authority Thursday about the valley's future water supply is worrisome. Unless we act quickly, there will be no water for hundreds of thousands of Las Vegas Valley residents in just three years.

Seize the chance to post your comments, concerns, and ideas on the water shortage facing the Las Vegas Valley.

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.

SNWA data shows drought conditions getting worse, not better forcing the general manager of the water authority to ask the board to spend more than $45 million to upgrade water pumps at Lake Mead.

Las Vegas Water Supply Needs Alternative.

Those pumps would be attached to the second drinking water intake at the lake and double its capacity to pump drinking water. At the current rate, the water level will drop below the first intake in less than three years drastically cutting the supply of drinking water to Las Vegas.

Then, there's a three to five year gap before drinking water can be pumped through a proposed pipeline from White Pine County, which means the new pumps at Lake Mead need to be quickly installed.

Startling Water Predictions Spark Huge Response

It also means General Manager Pat Mulroy is getting more aggressive in plans to pipe in drinking water from sources other than the Colorado River.

Mulroy said, "The point I was making today is that we have run out of options. We have run out of time to wring our hands about it and try to delay it. If we do that we are putting our own families and our own security in jeopardy."

Any water projects delays like building a pipeline, or adding the pumps could mean Las Vegas may run out of water anytime after 2010.

The additional $45 million spent on pumps and the cost of building a water pipeline may also raise rates in the future.

A good question is whether more conservation could make up the difference to keep drinking water flowing. And there will be another huge conservation campaign unveiled within the next month.

But valley residents can only tighten the belt so far. That's why Pat Mulroy has agreements to bank water in Arizona, as well as Nevada water reserves. She hopes that will last until the pipeline can start pumping.

Even if all of the water projects are finished and everything starts working on time, the Southern Nevada Water Authority still predicts a shortage.

That means by 2010, the valley will be short 64-million gallons of water a day.
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Comments:

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.

Posted by: Robert E | August 18, 2007 at 12:00 PM

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..

Posted by: CAW | August 18, 2007 at 11:59 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.

Posted by: Farfel | August 18, 2007 at 11:27 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.

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!!!!!

I don't want to start another debate on global warming, but since global warming became the big topic of discussion, we haven't had any discussion on our diminishing resources.

It has been very successful in keeping us from focusing on the fact that we do have problems with our water supplies, our air, etc. AND -

the effects this invasions of millions of people from another country is having on our already endangered resources.

Include Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and South Carolina to the list.