Conservation measures help prompt drought-alert reduction

Friday, Jan. 21, 2005 | 9:53 a.m.

Southern Nevada's water users have done such a good job saving water that harsher mandatory conservation measures are not now needed, officials said Thursday.

The board of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, following staff advice, held the region in a "drought alert," the second stage of a three-stage response to water shortages. Kay Brothers, water authority deputy general manager, said a more vigorous response is not yet needed because conservation has cut the region's take from Lake Mead from 325,000 acre-feet in 2002 to, the agency estimates, below 270,000 acre-feet last year.

Lake Mead provides about 90 percent of the urban water supply.

In related action, the board also formally de-coupled the third and worst stage, now called "drought critical," from lake levels. It was once tied to the lake falling below the level where the federal government would eliminate access to the so-called interim surplus.

Pat Mulroy, Water Authority general manager, said other factors need to be included when and if the region needs to go to the third stage, including conservation efforts and projected usage. The Water Authority has not taken any surplus in two years, staying below its basic apportionment of 300,000 acre-feet.

However, the board did bump up its recommended fines for wasting water, usually defined as letting water flow freely off of a property or irrigating landscaping on the wrong day.

The fines -- which would still have to be adopted by Henderson, Boulder City, North Las Vegas and the Las Vegas Valley Water District -- would increase from $25 for a first-time violation to $40 for a typical house.

Commercial properties with larger water lines connecting them to water systems would have fines go from $100 for a first-time violation to $160.