Water plan focuses on new sources

Wednesday, March 20, 2002 | 9:20 a.m.

An updated plan to provide more water in an attempt to keep pace with a growing Southern Nevada population will be unveiled Thursday.

Staff members from the Southern Nevada Water Authority will present the newest Water Resources Plan, a critical document that attempts to identify where our water will come from over the next five decades.

The original Water Resources Plan came just three years ago. Since then, factors have changed, and a substantive revision is required, said Kay Brothers, Southern Nevada Water Authority resource director.

The biggest change will come as no surprise to longtime residents of the Las Vegas region: population projections, as they have for decades, fell short of actual growth. In 2002, the local population is estimated to be more than 1.5 million.

By 2022, the population is expected to reach more than than 2.3 million, according to forecasts from the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

The regional population now uses about 550,000 acre-feet of water per year. One acre-foot is about 326,000 gallons.

By 2022, the amount used will approach 700,000 acre-feet per year. The Water Authority estimates that the amount will climb to about 750,000 acre-feet per year by 2050.

With use of Colorado River water -- long the largest single source for the region -- near its maximum allotment, the Water Authority will have to go after other sources to satisfy demand.

But the water resource plan indicates that no single source can meet that demand.

Among the future sources:

The difference between the original water resource plan and the revised model is that the 2002 plan puts more emphasis on ground water and sources from the Muddy and Virgin rivers, all Clark County sources, Brothers said.

The job of actually delivering the water to Las Vegas area consumers will be a tough one, said an outside observer.

"All of our water issues are directly related to our population growth," said Dale Devitt, director of the Center for Urban Water Conservation at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. "At some point, we will have to address that.

"Until we do, there is going to be a constant struggle to balance our water needs with our available resources," Devitt said.

One factor that may stall future population growth -- and conserve a lot of water -- could be higher prices, an issue that the water resource plan doesn't directly address.

Devitt said the price of water could double in the next 10 years. That could impact the ability of local governments and private developers to continue building homes and attracting new residents.