Managing own power would help stop water rate hike

Wednesday, April 18, 2001 | 11:22 a.m.

If the Las Vegas Valley Water District is successful in its push to control its own power bills, its customers will not likely be hit with a rate increase this year, General Manager Pat Mulroy said.

A bill that would allow the Water District to manage its own electric bill for pumping water passed the Senate Natural Resources Committee on Monday.

Senate Bill 211, if approved by the full Senate and the Assembly, would allow all city and Clark County water delivery agencies and wastewater treatment plants to buy power from the Colorado River Commission.

The CRC has access to hydroelectric power from dams on the Colorado River, something the water district and the Southern Nevada Water Authority cannot tap.

The Southern Nevada Water Authority, the coordinating agency for water, is the only entity that can purchase cheaper power from the CRC at this time.

Instead of waiting for the Legislature to help control volatile power prices, the Water District plans to educate the public and its own employees on how to save both electricity and water. Last summer, water consumers saved more than 16 percent as the result of conservation programs.

"If they save water, they save power," water district Deputy General Manager Richard Wimmer said.

It takes about 2,100 kilowatt-hours to deliver an acre-foot of water one mile uphill from Lake Mead to the Las Vegas Valley. This amount of electricity is equal to about two months' worth of energy used by the average family of four.

So, when each household cuts back its water demand, the Water District saves on its power bill along with the customer, Wimmer said.

The water district pays 20 percent of its budget for power, roughly $10 million a year.

In an energy conservation plan presented to the Water District board, Wimmer said that by pumping water at night, replacing outdated and inefficient pumping motors and studying other potential sources of efficiency, the district can save as much as $70,000 a year in energy costs.