Drought, Urban Sprawl Plague Silver State Water Planners

It's Called A Desert For A Reason Growth In Taxes Outweighs Reason

by Johnny Gunn

North and south, cities and counties are faced with the realization that there simply isn't an open ended source for water, but urban planners continue to build bedroom communities, OK projects that include thousands of dwellings, and say, "well, you know, the drought will end soon and everything will be OK."

A city of Reno official has been quoted as saying, "Use of some drought reserves by Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA) this year is expected to maximize reserves available for 2005." Another planning official has gone on record as being in favor of a 7,000 home addition north of the city, "but we don't know where we'll get the water."

In Clark County, while the level of Lake Mead continues to drop, new watering rules go in effect on the one hand while developers are eyeing thousands of acres of sagebrush in which to build thousands of new homes.

Along the Walker River more water rights have been given out than the river can support in really good years, and Walker Lake continues to recede, threatening what was one of Nevada's finer fisheries.

In White Pine County, a county commissioner lost in his attempt to enjoy a second term because of his stand in wanting to allow water from the eastern Nevada county to be transported to Clark County in the south.

There is also the problem of mind-set among Nevadans who have a long history in the Silver State. Often, we read such comments as, "My family has been here for four generations and I've watered my lawn every day for more than 60 years. I don't need or want a water meter, and who are you to tell me I can't have a nice lawn?"

It wasn't that many years ago that Reno/Sparks was a community of 25,000 or so and Las Vegas was not Glitter Gulch but a desert village, and water use didn't upset the entire ecology of the areas. Those days are gone, and some have not accepted the finality of over population in the desert.

Many communities are now faced with watering restrictions including Nevada's capital, Carson City, Clark County, and Washoe County, and the drought continues.

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Clark County Restrictions

The Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) has set restrictions for the fall months, limiting the lawn sprinkler use to just three days per week. Sunday will be a day of no watering at all. There will be three-day a week restrictions on drip irrigation systems as well. These restrictions are expected to be in effect through at least the end of October.

Fines for not following the rules can range from $25 to $400, and according to SNWA, there will be people on the lookout for violators. "There will always be some who feel it's necessary to water sidewalks and roadways," even in a serious drought period, said one authority representative.

Las Vegas gets most of its drinking water from Lake Mead, and the allocation is governed by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. There are many users, and the federal agency is tough on its regulations. Arizona is allocated as much as 2.8 million acre-feet of water from the Colorado River, while California gets 4.4 million acre-feet and Mexico is eligible for 1.5 million acre-feet.

Nevada's annual allotment is 300,000 acre-feet, and during the 2002-2003 water year, Las Vegas only used 272,000 despite a population growth. According to the Bureau of Reclamation, Las Vegas use appears to be less than that for this year. Colorado River water supplies all but about ten percent of the water used in the valley.

The Southern Nevada Authority is pleased that so many people in Clark County appear to be responding to drought conditions by removing such things as lawns and water-intensive landscape features and replacing them with desert features such as rock gardens and xeriscaping.

All is not positive however. A pipeline project is still in the works, designed to bring water to the Las Vegas Valley from as far away as White Pine County, and nearby Lincoln County. The cost of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) alone is expected to be about $4.5 million and might take as long as three years to complete.

There are those in White Pine County who are dead set against the project. One is Ray Urrizaga who made his opposition to the project the key to his campaign for the Republican nomination to the County Commission. His opponent, sitting councilman David Provost has been vocally in favor of the pipeline project, and voters agreed with Urrizaga during the primary, turning Provost out of office.

In the meantime, the SNWA has been filing applications in White Pine County with the Nevada State Engineer for water rights. It is the state engineer, not county officials who will decide who if anyone gets water rights. So far, almost 150 water applications have been filed.

Applications for utility rights of way have been filed with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). There is also federal legislation moving through Congress to allow SNWA to get water from and pipelines laid through Lincoln County.

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Water Woes In Washoe

Water from Lake Tahoe, feeding the Truckee River, will probably end at some point during September according to officials at the Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA). Lake Tahoe is the primary source of drinking water for the communities of Reno and Sparks, and when the lake drops below a certain point, TMWA will then augment river flow from Boca, Stampede, Independence, and Donner Lakes. Those area impoundments hold what is thought to be "drought reserves" for the area.

The current drought is in its fifth year and TMWA says their drought plans are for a maximum of a nine-year drought. During a previous seven-year drought in the 1980s and 1990s, Truckee River water flow ended completely. TMWA is assuring Reno-Sparks residents this won't happen this year, but they say flow in the river will drop considerably.

"We predict we will use 10 percent to 15 percent of our reserves this year," an official has said. It is the first year of this current drought that reserves will have to be tapped.

Water users in Washoe County are required to water only two days per week, and there are "water cops" all over town making sure that happens. Offenders are issued citations, with fines beginning at $75.

Water for the Truckee Meadows comes from snowmelt in the Sierra Nevada range. That water feeds all the nearby lakes and reservoirs as well as recharging ground water supplies. According to the TMWA, the agency "recharges the aquifer by injecting underground about 3,000 acre feet of water" for future drought years use. This is done during the wet winter months, they say.

There are various county and municipal water codes in effect for new construction, and all new construction served by TMWA must have water meters installed. Meters at older residences are available but are not mandatory.

There are many questions about water use in the Silver State that need answered, and in following articles, The Nevada Observer will attempt to do just that. Questions dealing with what many consider uncontrolled growth, both north and south, questions about the propriety of transporting water from one region to another, questions about water theme parks, and questions about whether developers hold sway over politicians, thus being able to build without thought to such mundane questions as drought.

The Nevada Observer looks forward to your comments on this subject as well. Direct all comments to johnnyg@nevadaobserver.com.