Letter: President can take several steps to ease drought

Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2004 | 8:57 a.m.

When in Las Vegas recently, President Bush said he could help Southern Nevada in its water shortage situation. What are some specific things he could do?

Insofar as 2001, 2002 and 2003 were three of the four hottest years in more than a century, he could acknowledge that global warming is a factor in low lake levels. He could say the water shortage situation will be permanent for the next decade as Southwestern population growth will be permanent, global warming evaporation will be permanent, the urban heat island effect will be permanent and Native American and other water claims will be permanent.

He could urge water agencies to publicize that Lake Mead is now only 36 percent full. This percent includes the 15 percent of lost water capacity at the bottom of the lake from decades of silt accumulation, garbage and pollutants. (Water agencies tend to focus on the lake elevation or say the lake is 51 percent full.) Based on low lake levels, he could, for the short term, announce there will be a 10 percent to 15 percent reduction of Colorado River water to the states of California, Arizona and Nevada.

Lastly, he could say, for the long term, that he will permanently modify the Law of the River so that Nevada can get more water from Lake Mead. If Nevada gets more water from Lake Mead, local water agencies will not need to build about 1,000 miles of pipelines to rural counties that will cost several billion dollars.

MARK BIRD