Editorial: What’s in it for me, anyway?

Friday, Aug. 29, 2003 | 9:19 a.m.

A prolonged drought has created a need to reduce water use in Clark County by 25 percent. On Tuesday the Boulder City Council adopted some, but not all, of the water-conservation measures that had been advocated by the Southern Nevada Water Authority, restrictions that already had been adopted in the city of Las Vegas and in unincorporated parts of Clark County. The City Council placed limits on water fountains and new grass at commercial buildings, but it rejected the water authority's recommendation that it ban misting systems at commercial buildings and it postponed making a decision on restricting the allocation of water for golf courses in the city.

While Boulder City could have done more, some residents actually complained the City Council went too far. Bill Smith, who lost his bid last year to become mayor, argues that the water-use restrictions aren't fair because Boulder City's growth is stagnant. The city of about 15,000 has an ordinance that limits growth to 120 homes a year; the county overall adds about 20,000 new homes every year. "What I'm saying is if they want us to be a good neighbor and recognize there's a water shortage, they need to recognize that they need to stop adding new users," Smith says. If the rest of the county adopted Boulder City's no-growth policy, however, the area's economy would grind to a halt and suffer irreparable damage.

Southern Nevada is facing a water-shortage crisis that the community, as a whole, needs to work together to address. The resistance of some residents in Boulder City to making a sacrifice the rest of us are making could end up sullying the fair-minded, neighborly image the small town has enjoyed for many years.