Report traces Nevada’s record growth, water use

David Kihara

Friday, Jan. 28, 2005 | 9:10 a.m.

From 1950 to 2000, Nevada was the fastest-growing state in the nation and increased its use of water more than any other state in the Southwest, according to a new report.

The report, by the U.S. Geological Survey, examined water issues throughout the Southwest region. It found, among other things, that water use has increased 58 percent from 1950 to 2000, and while that use is dominated by California, the populations of Southwestern states including Nevada are growing faster than California.

The study examined population and water use-increases in Nevada, California, Arizona, Utah and New Mexico, and found that the population of Nevada increased almost 10-fold from 1950 to 2000 and water "withdrawal" increased 81 percent -- the most of any state in the region.

California, which increased its withdrawal of water by 72 percent during that 50-year period, remained the largest user of water overall, mainly because of the large population and heavy agricultural use.

"In my mind, California is really the dominant feature in the West, but looking at the percentage change in population in the Southwest states, we found that those states grew faster than California," said Alice Konieczki, a hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey and one of the authors of the report.

"Growth is affecting the overall increase in water use," she said on Wednesday.

While the correlation between increasing populations and water use has been widely reported, the report gave comprehensive data on individual states' growth and water use.

For example, California took 62 percent of the water withdrawn for agricultural use in all five states in 1950 and 68 percent in 2000.

However, the water withdrawn for domestic use in California declined from 82 percent of the total domestic use in 1950 to 70 percent in 2000. According to the report, this indicates that the domestic needs for water increased more in Nevada, Arizona, Utah and New Mexico than in California.

Even though Nevada increased its consumption of water for domestic use by about 20 percent from 1950 to 2000, the rate of water consumption in Southern Nevada has decreased recently, according to Vince Alberta, spokesman for the Southern Nevada Water Authority.

In 2002, for example, the Las Vegas Valley used approximately 320,000 acre-feet. In 2003, that went down to 270,000 acre-feet.

Alberta said the rate for 2004 is even less than in previous years despite a population that continues to grow. He did not have detailed statistics for 2004.

"The community has embraced water conservation," Alberta said. "The lowering rate of water use is reflective of how you grow, and what this community has demonstrated is that water conservation is a concern."

One aspect of Nevada that differs from other areas in the Southwest is the lack of agriculture, Alberta said. Agricultural water use makes up less than 1 percent of the water use in the state because "what drives our state is tourism," he said.

Hal Rothman, UNLV history professor who is also serving on the Clark County Growth Task Force, criticized the U.S. Geological Survey for being both superficial and for not addressing any growth concerns.

However, he said that the trends of an increasing population that consumes more water is "a phenomenon that will continue."

One area where the report became critical was the use of ground water. The lack of infrastructure to transport water and the absence of surface water because of droughts make developing ground water supplies important, according to the report, especially considering the "political, hydrological and geographic boundaries (that) affect the distribution of water in the southwest."

Alberta agreed, saying that Southern Nevada receives about 90 percent of its water from the Colorado River and 10 percent from ground water.

"The recent drought reinforced that we need to take advantage of other resources so we are not dependent on one resource -- we need to diversify our portfolio," he said.