County proposes rules against fountain exemptions

Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2003 | 9 a.m.

The Strip's resorts would no longer have to apply for a special permit to keep their water fountains running under a proposed ordinance to be voted on later this month.

The proposed rule change would also make it impossible for smaller businesses to avoid a ban on fountains and similar water features in unincorporated parts of the county.

Resorts on the Strip and elsewhere in unincorporated Clark County had to apply for exemptions from a ban on fountains and other water features enacted last month in response to the four-year drought affecting Southern Nevada's water supply. The resorts had to prove to the commission that their water features represented a "core economic function" bringing tourists to the area.

Under the proposed changes, the resorts would have to show that they bring tourists to the area and have a water-conservation plan in place. No other exemptions would be allowed, voiding the deluge of applications for exemptions from business parks and others who argued that they needed fountains to maintain economic vitality.

The modified county regulation is part of a larger regional effort to standardize the rules governing who gets to use fountains, and when. Most fountains in commercial developments were banned in Clark County, North Las Vegas, Las Vegas and Henderson at the request of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, which is seeking to promote conservation throughout the region.

The hearing and a possible vote on the rule revision is set for Oct. 21 in the Clark County Commission chambers.