Dry times: Water limits loom as drought worsens

Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2003 | 11:17 a.m.

There is less water for drinking, bathing and irrigation, and "we're going to have to respond," said Kay Brothers of the Southern Nevada Water Authority.

Brothers is leading the water authority's effort to draft a response to what officials are calling a crisis, here and throughout the West.

Among a number of proposals being considered are:

Two issues are pushing the effort: a federal reduction in the amount of water Southern Nevada can draw from Lake Mead, and more than three years of drought along the Colorado River that is physically limiting the water available for use.

The drought could lead to a 5 percent cut in available water by the end of this year, if federal projections hold true. But the collapse of a complex Colorado River agreement last month calls for a 10 percent cut of available water this year.

Although the crisis is pushing the drought plan development, some of the measures that are under discussion could become permanent parts of the landscape, said Tracy Bowers, authority spokeswoman.

Both immediate steps and long-term measures are scheduled to be addressed at a Jan. 23 water authority board meeting. However, the authority cannot impose its will on the community.

Six local water distributors throughout the county, including the Las Vegas Valley Water District, will have to put the measures into effect. That means the authority staff's job includes convincing other government agencies of the need for stricter conservation steps.

Officials at the authority and the six regional distributors that serve Clark County are cagey as to what, exactly, can and should be done to curb water use and especially water waste.

Brothers, general manager of the authority, said the main reason for the lack of specific measures is that dramatic changes in the final version of the plan are likely.

Those proposals are designed to be relatively painless for most users. But if the drought continues, lake levels continue to fall and conservation efforts fail, harsher measures might be necessary, Brothers said.

One of the issues scheduled for discussion will be the creation of a committee to discuss and recommend ways to respond to a deeper drought.

Brothers said that the authority would include people from throughout the community in the committee -- and the group would have to look at some potentially painful measures to control water use. Those measures are not a part of the plan under discussion.

But the plan already under development will affect Clark County water users. One element will likely be higher prices for residential water customers who use lots of water. How those surcharges would be applied, and how much they would ultimately cost, are elements that have not yet been determined, Brothers said.

Water authority officials and documents say simply that "measures are under development" in conversations with the distributors that bring water to homes and businesses, and the major industries that will be affected by the water-rule changes.

But Ken Albright, water authority resources director, said the impact has to be felt if the drought plan will make a difference.

Nothing short of a "a lifestyle change during this period" will do, he said.

Albright notes that some communities upstream of Lake Mead have had much tighter restrictions -- including temporary loss of water from the tap -- because of the drought. So far the Las Vegas Valley has avoided those measures, though they may be coming.

"I don't want people to come away thinking this is mere rhetoric," he said. "If anybody was waiting for their wake-up call, this is it.

"We don't need to panic. We can conserve. ... This is the worst drought in the history of the river. Supply is down and demand is up."

One of the industries that will almost certainly be affected is landscaping. John Marman, an executive with West Coast Turf and the outgoing president of the Nevada Landscape Association, said his industry is acutely aware of the problem.

Marman, whose been working with the water authority on the drought plan, said landscapers are ready to suggest several ways to ease the situation. One is to increase enforcement of the rules already in place.

Marman said the water authority and the Las Vegas Valley Water District are doing a better job than a few years ago on enforcement of water rules, but more could be done.

Another element of the plan that Marman wants to see is an emphasis on homeowner education. Homeowners, who according to water officials use 65 percent of the water drawn from Lake Mead, also are the greatest source of water waste.

"They need to look at educating everyone," he said. "There are so many people that do things at their homes that they are just not aware of. They just aren't educated as to what they shouldn't do."

Finally, a lot more can be done directly with the landscaping to save water, Marman said. That includes eliminating water-hungry landscaping where it is not needed, such as on median strips on boulevards, he said.

Marman said a common sight in the area is water spraying up, over and off of the grassy median strips on roads. But the grass itself is also a problem, he said.

He said many people continue to plant lush, cool-weather grasses that use up to 60 percent more water than their warm-weather cousins, such as Bermuda grass.

Observers generally agree with Marman's suggestions, which he cautioned are still being developed.

"The real challenge is getting to the homeowners," said Dale Devitt, director of the Center for Urban Water Conservation at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. "We need to develop a more comprehensive educational program that really hits home.

"Otherwise, we're going to have to hit them in the pocketbook."

Dave Kreamer, former director of UNLV's Water Resources Management Graduate Program and a hydrology professor, agrees.

"The fact is, water use has to be reduced," he said.

Kreamer said the options on the table are likely to become permanent, mostly because a population that grows by about 70,000 people every year demands more water all the time.

The citizens' committee to discuss what can and should be done could be critical in bringing "some level of wide community acceptance" for the conservation measures, he said.

"Without full involvement by all of the stakeholders, we'll probably have to go back to the drawing board," Kreamer predicted. "That is going to be critical.

"These water problems will not go away."