LV Valley has water stored to cover drought

Monday, April 21, 2003 | 11:10 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Southern Nevada officials told the Legislature today there is enough stored water to get through the next several years despite the continued drought.

Southern Nevada Water Authority General Manager Pat Mulroy and Deputy General Manager Kay Brothers said there are 116,000 acre-feet banked in Arizona and 240,000 acre-feet stored underground in the Las Vegas area.

Brothers said the authority has a "safety valve" to get through the drought, possibly to 2010. But she said she expected the drought to break before then.

They both stressed conservation measures must be taken.

"We have to do something about our water use," Mulroy said. She said people move in and ignore that Las Vegas sits in the driest desert.

These new residents want "wall-to-wall lawns" and other water-consuming amenities, she said.

The water conservation goal by 2010 is 25 percent and that would be increased to 30 percent later, Brothers said.

She said both the city of Las Vegas and Clark County are looking for conservation measures in their parks and athletic facilities.

Mulroy said that grass has been planted "in goofy places." She added, "My favorite places are medians."

Mulroy said some four-resident homes in Southern Nevada use 300,000 gallons annually while others consume 17 million gallons a year.

Mulroy told the committee that the public has "heard the screaming" from the golf courses that face cutting back their turf to conserve water.

Mulroy said some golf courses have reduced their grass area by 550,000 square feet and one has cut its turf by 850,000 square feet. In Southern Nevada, it takes 5 to 10 acre-feet to irrigate an acre of golf course. In Phoenix the water use for a golf course is only 4.5 acre-feet per acre.

Outside the hearing before the Assembly Government Affairs Committee, Mulroy said the water authority has proposed these golf courses be put on water budgets.

She said the 20 percent of the courses that use the most water will have to reduce the amount of water they use down to 7 to 8 acre-feet of water per acre or "be willing to pay huge fines that can go over $1 million."

The water authority has formed an advisory committee to write water-use rules if the region moves into the most severe stage of the drought.

The Nevada Golf Course Owners Association, which has taken the water authority to task over potential financial penalties for using too much water to irrigate its courses, said today's news is good but somewhat surprising.

"It's kind of funny that we are participating in drought emergency procedures if we have seven-year supply of water," said Stan Spraul, general manager of Southern Highlands Golf Course and a director of the golf owners association. He is also on the water-use advisory committee.

Spraul said golf course operators are far more economical on water than average consumers.

"Water is our No. 1 expense a year at about $1.2 million, so we are always looking for ways to conserve," he said. "We adjust on a daily basis accounting for rain, wind and other factors. Many homeowners set their (lawn sprinkler system) clocks when they move in and never change them.

"We want to be involved in conservation efforts when it comes to educating the public on responsible water use because golf courses are among the best water managers."

Assembly members wondered about the water attractions outside some Strip hotels. Mulroy said 70 to 80 percent is for use inside the hotel.

Every hotel must submit a water conservation plan. She said that fountains have been banned that don't have economic use.

For instance, she said if the water shows at the Bellagio and The Mirage were banned, that would lead to economic problems.

Mulroy was asked about limiting water to slow the growth of Southern Nevada. But she said the growth is driven by the amount of land in private ownership. The water authority, she said, has the responsibility to serve customers as long as it has the resources.

To meet future needs, the water authority is looking at drawing more water from the Virgin and Muddy rivers and from underground resources in Lincoln County, Mulroy said.