Fighting drought: Las Vegas wants to restrict access to water

the US state of Nevada Take a drastic step to reduce water use in Las Vegas. Governor Joe Lombardo signed legislation allowing the local water board to use the water available to individual households Reduce the amount of water. Lombardo said the goal is to strike a balance between economic growth and ensuring “clean and stable waters for the future”.

“We want to make sure we have the tools we need to manage water demand and continue to meet the community’s water needs into the future,” Southern Nevada Water Authority spokesman Bronson Mack said Friday.

Potential restrictions apply to single-family homes

The potential limit applies to single-family homes and will take effect if the US government reduces Nevada’s share of water extraction from the Colorado River, which is threatened by drought. She said one conceivable way would be to install a device to limit the flow of water into homes.

The Southern Nevada Water Authority, which sponsored the law, said it would not, in fact, impose restrictions unless necessary. The agency provides water from Lake Mead Reservoir to approximately 2.4 million Las Vegas area residents and approximately 40 million visitors each year.

According to Bronson Mack, 80 percent of the 580,000 single-family homes served by the agency would not be affected if the legal limit of 617,022 liters of water per year were applied.

Mack said the average household in Las Vegas consumes about 120,000 gallons, well below the limit. The new law aims to reduce excessive water use by 20 percent of households, which the agency says use 45 percent of the water.

The future of the Colorado River is uncertain.

The Colorado River carries melted ice from the Rocky Mountains to the Gulf of California in Mexico. Along the way, it is tapped and impounded to provide water to about 40 million people and farms. In recent years, the river has been threatened by climate change, increased demand, and decades-long drought.

“The future of the Colorado River is uncertain,” Mack said. In Las Vegas, lawns are already banned, swimming pools are limited in size, and fountains on the Las Vegas Strip use recycled water.

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