Las Vegas Sun

November 14, 2009

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Editorial: Let’s conserve, not grab

Monday, June 7, 2004 | 9:25 a.m.

The Southern Nevada Water Authority is preparing Indian Springs for the day, perhaps 10 or 15 years from now, when it will begin pumping its ground water for use in Clark County. At a town hall meeting last week in the community 35 miles northwest of Las Vegas, a water authority representative announced plans to draw 16,000 acre-feet, enough to serve 20,000 homes. Understandably, many of the 1,392 Indian Springs residents are voicing grave concerns. At the meeting, they spoke of how they are already having to drill deeper and deeper to find water for their own homes and businesses.

The water authority, of course, must have approval from State Engineer Hugh Ricci before pumping ground water from anywhere. We empathize with the Indian Springs residents and agree with Ricci, who has said Indian Springs is already short of water. An alternative plan would be to "mine" for ground water right here in the Las Vegas Valley. Better yet, we should develop a real conservation plan for the valley before we go after water elsewhere. With our ubiquitous fountains, lakes, swimming pools, sprawling lawns and golf courses, it's hard to justify plans to grab Indian Springs' water.

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