Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Water authority sets aside $10 million for conservation measures

To continue its conservation efforts, the Southern Nevada Water Authority is setting aside $10 million in its next budget for such things as paying Las Vegas-area residents to remove their lawns to save water.

John Entsminger, senior general manager of the authority, told the Legislative Committee on Public Lands Friday that the water conservation programs will continue despite the state ruling allowing the authority to pump an annual 83,988 acre-feet of water from rural Nevada.

The authority provides 900 million gallons of water a day to Southern Nevada during some periods, he said.

Besides the turf pull, the authority gives rebates to those who buy covers for their swimming pools and it supplies coupons to motorists to get $2 off when their cars are washed at a place that recycles water.

Entsminger said the water authority gets the deed to the lawn when it pays the resident to pull the grass. There is a process for a homeowner to regain the right to grow a lawn, but the authority must be repaid.

So far, there have not been any applications to replant lawns, Entsminger said.

Entsminger, questioned about the cost of the pipeline project, said it would be $3.2 billion. After the bonds are issued, the cost will be $15.8 billion but that will be paid off through 2078.

Clark County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani, who opposed the project, expressed concerns about the impact on water rates when the water starts to flow from rural Nevada.

He was also questioned about the potential desalinization plant in Mexico. The water authority is studying this with California and Arizona but it will be 10 to 20 years before "we put anything out," he said.

State Engineer Jason King told the committee the water authority put forth "substantial evidence" to show it could finance the pipeline project.

And he said he has the power to shut down the pipeline project if it starts to damage rural counties that are losing water.

King told the committee the project will be closely monitored and if there is a "red flag raised" then "the response time is immediate."

But King conceded there were no hard or fast guidelines to determine an "adverse trend."

King was questioned by committee members if he had the authority to close the project even if the water authority had spent millions of dollars to develop the pipeline to pump water from four valleys in rural Nevada.

He said he has the power to reduce the amount of pumping or to order the wells to be moved to other locations.

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