Columnist Jeff German: Shutting off Strip fountains would do wonders

Friday, Oct. 10, 2003 | 4:53 a.m.

THIS CITY is all about image, which frequently determines how we conduct business here.

Today, image is playing a role in our efforts to conserve water during a four-year drought. We are said to be wasting 30 billion gallons of water a year while Lake Mead continues to shrink.

Residents are being ordered to water their lawns less, and developers are being told to plan water-efficient communities, which means cutting back on large pools and fountains.

But while we're all expected to contribute our share to the conservation campaign, local municipalities are creating the perception that they're willing to allow the big casinos to continue wasting water because those resorts bring in tourists, the economic lifeblood of this community.

No one's turning off the fountains at the Bellagio or the Grand Canal Shops at the Venetian. The Wet & Wild theme park, though closed now, was as popular as ever this past summer next door to the Sahara.

Earlier this month the fountains at the Fremont Street Experience were among those temporarily exempted from having to shut down as part of mandatory drought restrictions in the city.

And the Clark County Commission expects to take up a new ordinance Oct. 21 that will grant automatic exemptions to fountains at all resorts, including neighborhood casinos not known for being vital tourist destinations. Non-gaming businesses in the county no longer will be able to apply for exemptions if the ordinance is passed.

In an Aug. 3 guest column in the Sun, Pat Mulroy, general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, the architect of our drought plan, explained why some water features on the Strip may never fall victim to the drought plan.

"To shut off the Bellagio's fountains could send a signal to the rest of the country that Las Vegas is closed for business and send economic shockwaves through the entire community," she wrote.

It's all about perception and making sure perception doesn't turn into reality.

But how can local officials expect the rest of us to dedicate ourselves to conserving water when we're given the impression that the big casinos are getting special treatment?

If all of us don't make a contribution, then our chances of getting through this drought are reduced dramatically.

And if we run out of water because we're all not pitching in, what will that do to tourism?

Mulroy and other local officials definitely have a tough balancing act, but I'm not so sure it's as tough as they're telling us.

Does anyone really think that Las Vegas will shut down if the Bellagio fountains are shut off for a while?

Of course not. People will continue to come here. They will come to gamble, to dine, to shop and to entertainment themselves -- with or without fountains.

Sure, the Strip might not look as pretty, and the city might take a couple of hits in the national media, but as Sept. 11 has demonstrated, we are fully capable of bouncing back.

We have millions of dollars in advertising funds and many talented spin doctors at our disposal to meet any public relations challenge.

It is all the more reason for us to concentrate on the bigger picture.

Shutting off the fountains at Bellagio and the rest of the Strip, as we are doing everywhere else in the valley, just might create the image we need to get us through this drought.

I'm no expert on tourism, but I have trouble believing that it will result in an economic disaster for the city. On the contrary, I believe it will show Las Vegans that we are serious about dealing with this crisis -- and that we really are in it together.

It should cause all of us to make a greater effort to conserve water.