Southern Nevada is one of several southwest areas in an “exceptional” drought – the most severe category, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The dry conditions are a concern among millions of people living in the seven states that depend on the Colorado River for water: Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and Nevada.
Just east of Las Vegas, receding "bathtub rings” are etched into Lake Mead, a reminder of how much water there once was. The lake provides water to the state’s most populous city and tourist destination, and surrounding Clark County.
The Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) responded with a number of water conservation efforts more than two decades ago, including a Water Patrol. About two dozen Water Waste Investigators patrol the city in blue and white vehicles searching for signs of waste.
Devyn Choltko, a Water Waste Investigator, stops when she sees water streaming onto the street in a neighborhood, on an early July morning.
“Water Waste Investigator 9393,” Choltko reports into her cell phone to record the incident. “Some misaligned sprinklers as well as over-irrigation causing some run-off. Water is making its way from the property and down the gutter.”
The most common alleged offense is called a “spray and flow” violation.
Any water running down the gutter, on the sidewalk or on the street is considered wasted and the water district intervenes. Cholko marks a yellow flag with the date, time and alleged violation, then places the marker on the property to notify the resident. Initially, investigators provide a warning notice to homeowners to take corrective action.
“Most people don’t even know they have a problem,” Choltko said.
Residents can be fined if they ignore the notice. They face a fee of $80 initially that can easily double if ignored.
SNWA has strict watering schedules, which change with the seasons. Property owners can water during the early mornings or nights to avoid evaporation, but never on Sundays.
When the SNWA first started enforcement, about 20% of residents received citations.
“As we look at that today, we're closer to 10% or less of property owners that have a water waste investigation take place at their property that end up receiving a fee,” said Bronson Mack, spokesperson with the SNWA.
The key goal is to educate people about the importance of water conservation and encourage a change in behavior, Mack added. That change can be as small as people taking shorter showers or re-using water for plants or cleaning.
“We collected in the neighborhood of about $1-$1.5 million over the recent years in water waste violations,” said Mack. Those dollars are used by the Las Vegas Valley Water District to support conservation programs, like incentives to remove turf and rebates to install smart irrigation systems.”
Cholko often sees another common malfunction on patrol. When homeowners switch to desert landscape, they require drip irrigation for the benefit of watering directly to the root of plants or trees. Faulty or worn out tubes can result in water spewing onto sidewalks.
“Malfunctions can cause a lot of water waste in general just because of the potential for them to get so much worse, so quickly,” Cholko said.
When there is a malfunction, the resident doesn’t just get a yellow flag in their yard. The water company follows up with a phone call to make sure the homeowner takes corrective action.
For homeowners that cannot afford repairs, the SNWA can provide financial assistance to qualified homeowners in order to make necessary repairs.
Many communities across the country are also taking water conservation efforts to higher levels. Phoenix, San Antonio in Texas, San Diego, the Miami-Dade area and others are all working to conserve as much water as possible. But in Southern Nevada, conservation is treated like preserving a precious commodity. Efforts range from banning decorative grass, limiting pool sizes in new communities, and a moratorium on evaporative cooling. The SNWA says evaporative cooling is the “second largest consumptive use of water” next to landscape irrigation.
Recycling or “water re-use” is also a significant effort, as the majority of Southern Nevada’s water is recycled.
Despite a population growth of almost a million people in the past two decades and the millions of tourists who visit Las Vegas, “we have reduced our consumption of Colorado River water by more than 30% over the past two decades,” Mack said.
Water conservation will be necessary in every community as we adapt to a changing climate and limited water supply, said the nonprofit Alliance for Water Effectiveness.
“In order for us to sustain a dependable, affordable water supply, we will need to continue to lean more heavily into these water saving strategies,” said Ron Burke, CEO and president of the organization.
Low levels at reservoirs that depend on the Colorado River are expected to continue, according to the latest data released by the Bureau of Reclamation.
“The health of the Colorado River system and the livelihoods that depend on it are relying on our ability to collaborate effectively and craft forward-thinking solutions that prioritize conservation, efficiency, and resilience,” said Scott Cameron, the acting assistant secretary for water and science, for the federal Department of the Interior.
This story comes by way of the Mountain West News Bureau, an NPR regional hub, in collaboration with Nevada Public Radio in Las Vegas. The bureau is a collaboration of stations in seven states, including Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.
