Water management steps taken

Eric Leake

Thursday, March 17, 2005 | 9:02 a.m.

Recognizing that water is a precious resource, the North Las Vegas City Council moved forward with water conservation and system improvements during a special session Wednesday.

The council directed the city to proceed with plans to manage backflow, reduce watering, and find a home for a future water reclamation center.

The facility would be the city's first to treat waste water. Utilities Director David Bereskin said it would cost approximately $130 million to build and should be operational by early 2009 if not sooner.

North Las Vegas waste water currently goes to county or Las Vegas treatment centers, Bereskin said. The North Las Vegas center would free capacity at the others and save energy, he said.

Bereskin said the city is considering four sites for the facility, which will require 40 acres.

Parks and Recreation Director Mike Henley told the council that his department removed 7,000 square feet of turf from medians and other areas in the last year -- the first for the Drought Relief Plan -- saving 60 million gallons of water through that and sprinkler modifications.

Henley said the savings are important both for the quantity and in setting an example for citizens in conservation. The council told him to continue with the plan, but not to save too much.

"I just wanted to make sure that we're not getting too drastic in our view," Councilwoman Shari Buck said. Added Councilwoman Stephanie Smith, "I think it's important to keep our grass green year-round."

The city already calls for businesses to have the appropriate devices to protect against backflow, and is considering also handling inspection of those systems to guarantee total compliance.

Backflow is the potentially hazardous industrial water that can flow from a business back into the municipal water system if it fails, Bereskin explained.

The city told Bereskin to move forward with the plan and to talk to local businesses about the impact if the city managed inspections.