Letter: Water needs best met by looking to the west

Sunday, Aug. 27, 2006 | 7:27 a.m.

The Pacific Ocean is the source of the precipitation that falls on the arid mountain ranges above the Snake and Steptoe valleys east of Ely. What little snow and rain does fall on these mountains eventually makes its way into the earth, forming aquifers. This snowmelt has been used for the past century for agriculture and ranching, from which we humans benefit.

Pat Mulroy, from the Southern Nevada Water Authority, claims it's necessary to build a 250-mile long pipeline and related infrastructure at a proposed cost of $2 billion to secure the future of Las Vegas. The Schell Creek Range and the Snake Range don't receive enough snowfall to justify spending billions of dollars in revenue to secure growth for Southern Nevada.

Las Vegas' daily water consumption from the Colorado River is met by snow that falls on the mountains of Colorado and Utah, and this is no longer adequate due to a prolonged drought. The millions of visitors to our desert city are using water from snow as well - this is nonsense. Every toilet flushed in this city is with snowmelt, every swimming pool is filled with snowmelt, every lawn watered with snowmelt - that's insane.

Remember the prophetic phrase "Go West"? What's to say the Water Authority shouldn't do the same? Three hundred miles to the west is the largest body of water on earth. Yes, it's 50 miles farther than Ely, and, yes, a desalination plant would have to be built. Big deal. Water is more valuable than oil and the Pacific is a well that will never run dry. Relying on snow for our daily use of water is as archaic as the combustion engine. Snow is seasonal, the need for water is not. Look west, Ms. Mulroy, look west!

Andrew Fulton, Las Vegas