City of Las Vegas issued the following announcement on August 17.
On Aug. 16, 2021 the federal government, prompted by the low water levels in Lake Mead, issued a water shortage declaration on the Colorado River. The shortage will reduce the amount of water Southern Nevada will be allowed to withdraw from Lake Mead beginning in January 2022. The good news is that thanks to the strong water conservation efforts Southern Nevada has achieved over the last 25 years, the shortage declaration will have little impact initially. Our area already uses less water than what the new allocation is to be, even with the cut factored in.
The declared shortage will cut Southern Nevada’s annual water allocation of 300,000 acre-feet from Lake Mead—the source of 90 percent of the community’s supply—by a total of 21,000 acre-feet (nearly seven billion gallons of water) in 2022.
While the shortage declaration is the first of its kind, it is not the first time Southern Nevada was required to reduce water use in response to drought conditions and a hotter, drier climate. When the drought was first declared in 2002, Southern Nevada was using more than its legal entitlement of 300,000 acre-feet of Colorado River water. However, the community’s commitment to conservation led to a 23 percent decline in water use since 2002 despite the addition of nearly 800,000 new residents.
Conservation progress has stalled in recent years. Here’s what you can do to help conserve water:
- Follow seasonal water restrictions. Only about half of single-family households comply with the year-round seasonal watering restrictions which limits the number of days landscapes can be watered each season. If every water user diligently followed these restrictions each season, Southern Nevada could save more water than is being cut under the shortage conditions.
- Replace unused grass with a water smart landscape. Southern Nevada Water Authority’s Water Smart Landscapes rebate program has helped the community upgrade more than 197 million square feet of lawn to water-efficient landscaping.
- Report water waste. Tens of millions of gallons go to waste each year as poor poor irrigation practices result in water flowing off properties. Reporting this waste to local water utilities helps educate property owners about the issue and gives them an opportunity to correct it; those that continue to waste water receive a violation and a water-waste fee.
For more ways to conserve water, visit https://www.snwa.com/.
The city is also doing its part to conserve water:
- We reduced water consumption at our facilities by 2.25 billion gallons over the last decade.
- We built LEED certified green buildings with water efficient landscaping and low-flow fixtures.
- We partnered with Southern Nevada Water Authority to reduce non-functional turf at parks, incorporate xeriscaping and replaced sports fields with artificial turf.
Our 2050 Master Plan addresses long-term growth, continued water conservation and additional drought recommendations that reduce consumption to less than 100 gallons per person per day over the next thirty years.
Original source can be found here.
