Editorial: A precious resource

Thursday, June 30, 2005 | 8:48 a.m.

Last fall the Southern Nevada Water Authority created a task force to recommend how to develop new water resources for Las Vegas. The Integrated Water Planning Advisory Committee hasn't made its final proposals yet, but some of the draft recommendations made public this week, such as tapping groundwater from rural counties, have created opposition from ranchers and environmentalists and are bound to be controversial.

We were encouraged that one of the draft proposals is to increase water conservation, one of the fastest, easiest ways to make water available for truly needed uses. One of the Las Vegas Valley's most prominent developers, John Ritter of Focus Property Group, says there should be deeper cuts in how much water Las Vegans use. Ritter, a member of the task force, says he still sees waste despite the restrictions on water use that were imposed in 2003.

Las Vegans have responded enthusiastically to water conservation programs, saving more than 50,000 acre-feet of water annually during the past two years. We understand the necessity of exploring the option of securing water rights elsewhere in Nevada so that our economy can keep pace with our rapid growth, but it is essential that we also do all that we reasonably can to conserve this precious resource in our own backyard.