Friday, Dec. 5, 2003 | 11:34 a.m.
We live in the desert and are in the fifth year of a drought with no immediate relief, and yet our public officials can't seem to act cohesively to get us to conserve water.
This week we saw a perfect example of how mixed up the process of saving our most important resource has become.
Pat Mulroy, executive director of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, which in February approved a valley-wide plan to conserve water during the drought, begged the Las Vegas City Council not to take action that could alter the game plan.
But the council, bowing to pressure from within the business community, ignored her plea and passed a measure that could let city businesses go back to running their fountains if they can demonstrate a water-savings 50 times greater than what is consumed by their fountains.
The fountains, regarded as a symbol of water waste, were turned off in August after both the city and the county, which are members of the Water Authority, the agency that manages our Colorado River allotment, passed ordinances implementing the drought plan. Fountains on the Strip, which are vital to the economic well-being of a business, were exempted from being shut off.
This week's action by the city sounds good because it's an effort to take an additional stab at saving water. But the move is a departure from the Water Authority's drought plan, and it's adding to the perception within and outside this community that Las Vegas, with its huge Strip water features, really isn't serious about conserving water.
It also is giving fits to Mulroy, who now has to go back to the Water Authority's board and ask whether the city's amendment should be incorporated into the overall drought plan to avoid putting businesses with turned-off fountains outside the city limits at an economic disadvantage.
But it gets crazier.
The Las Vegas Valley Water District, which also is a member of the Water Authority, provides water service to the city and the county. It has adopted the Water Authority's drought plan into its service rules and does not allow fountains to operate, other than those exempted on the Strip.
So in theory, the Water District could fine a city business that turns on a fountain for failing to abide by the district's rules. Mulroy said she's hoping a compromise will be worked out to avoid that scenario.
All of this comes as we head into a drought alert in January because of the continued declining water levels at Lake Mead, which gives us 90 percent of our water. Because of light snowfalls in the Colorado mountains, the lake has gone down 75 feet since 1999. In a drought alert, we will face tighter commercial and residential restrictions on water use.
If there's another light snowfall this winter, there's a possibility the Water Authority would have to declare a drought emergency in January 2005 and impose even tougher rules.
And that gets us back to that perception problem.
Another purpose of the drought plan is to be able to demonstrate to neighboring Colorado River Basin states that, should we need to tap into their water allotments during the drought, we have been responsible and done everything we could to conserve the water we have.
But the plan is sending out mixed messages and, as we've seen this week, is getting more confusing.
On the Strip, we allow Bellagio's dancing fountains to keep running, the Venetian's canals to continue flowing and the new Wynn Las Vegas megaresort to enhance its property with water features -- all in the name of promoting tourism.
Yet we require other businesses, mostly nontourism related, to turn off their fountains -- unless they have the good fortune of being in the city.
At the same time, we order homeowners to cut back on sprinkling their lawns and washing their cars, and we tell them not to expect any special treatment.
No wonder some people are reluctant to enthusiastically support the conservation measures.
Mulroy probably best summed up the dilemma this week when she told the City Council, "Water has never been a rational business."
At some point, however, our public officials will have to find a rational way of dealing with this drought -- or at least get in sync with each other.
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