Lawmakers hear about Nevada water woes

Tapping aquifers north of Las Vegas and limiting water use will allow thirsty Southern Nevada to weather droughts like the one now afflicting the state, lawmakers heard Wednesday.

Meager northern snowpack, lack of rain and continued political and legal wrangling in California has decreased flow of Colorado River water to the Las Vegas area.

Pat Mulroy, general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, says water-saving efforts alone should be enough to keep taps flowing for at least another two decades.

"Conservation is our most assured resource," Mulroy told state senators at a hearing on water resources.

But she said tapping groundwater in Coyote Springs and elsewhere -- and piping it to Las Vegas -- will help supplement those efforts during future droughts.

"It's time," Mulroy said. "When you've got 80-plus percent of your water coming from the Colorado River, you want to diversify your portfolio because you're going to hit a drought like this."

A consultant has been researching possible groundwater projects for the SNWA, and a final report is due in May.

Lawmakers are responding to the drought -- and publicity generated by fights over Colorado River water in California -- with fresh interest and at least one bill.

A measure introduced in the Senate on Wednesday, SB216, would create a legislative oversight committee to review various state water agencies' budgets and actions.

"Water is a big issue," said Sen. Terry Care, D-Las Vegas. "The fight here is to use it or lose it. That may be a theme throughout this legislative session."

In the meeting, lawmakers asked whether a proposed 25 percent water conservation in southern Nevada is feasible. Mulroy responded that it was.

The senators also wondered about overuse by Las Vegas area golf courses and questioned how Nevada will be affected if California water agencies can't seal a deal to limit their use of Colorado River water.

The deal was needed as part of a larger water-use compact. In response, the federal government on Jan. 1 choked off supply to a rural Southern California water agency, a move has also reduced flow to Southern Nevada.

Reserves in Lake Mead are enough for Las Vegas to survive, and Mulroy said she's confident the deal will work itself out. If not, she plans to cut a deal with Interior Secretary Gale Norton to renew full flow supply to Southern Nevada.

Mulroy spoke a week after her agency approved a drought plan that would restrict residential lawn sprinkling and impose a surcharges on golf courses and casinos that don't reduce water use.

The measures that would go into effect in June still need to be endorsed and enforced by the member agencies.

Water levels at Lake Mead and Lake Powell -- main water sources for Nevada and several other Southwestern states -- have dropped 60 feet over the past three years due to drought and growing use.

Lake Powell is at its lowest level in three decades.

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Southern Nevada Water Authority: www.snwa.com/