LETTERS: Water conservation key to city’s future

To the editor:

We have been living with drought in the southwest for years, so long that many of us are tuning it out. That’s especially easy to do in Las Vegas and Clark County. There are still acres of green grass just about everywhere we look, especially in the wealthy parts of town.

Surface water, particularly the lifeline of the Colorado River and Lake Mead, remains incredibly important, supplying about 90 percent of the metropolitan water supply for drinking, bathing, washing and irrigation. The drought, however, has combined with waste to cut the volume of water in the river and Lake Mead in half. Global warming and climate change could make this a permanent water shortage.

The answer to the Las Vegas water crisis is not the construction of a short-term, quick-fix pipeline to bring ancient and limited groundwater 250 miles to Clark County, at a bankrupting cost to ratepayers of more than $15 billion. Instead, our focus must be on increased water conservation (indoors and outdoors), growth management, harvest of rainwater and other sustainable solutions.

Additionally, it is imperative that the U.S. Interior Department work with Nevada and other Colorado River Basin states to address how water in the Colorado River is used. Currently, about 78 percent is used for highly inefficient irrigation in California and Arizona, much of it for thirsty crops such as alfalfa, which are then exported overseas. Increasing the efficiency of irrigation, smart changes in crops and a re-balancing of water use between agriculture, wildlife and municipal use is an absolute necessity.

We can find our water balance in Southern Nevada, and we must. Without adequate clean water, Las Vegas will wither as our economy and quality of life suffer.

DAN PATTERSON

BOULDER CITY

Moving performance

To the editor:

Norm Clarke’s column on the local violinist was headlined “Las Vegas violinist lives his dream on ‘MNF’,” after Bobby Yang provided a stirring rendition of the national anthem on “Monday Night Football” (Oct. 15 Review-Journal). But it was this reader’s dream and honor to witness such a fine performance.

Ironically, I hardly ever watch football, but as I was turning the channel, I found Mr. Yang playing the violin in front of thousands of people. Suddenly, I was transfixed as I watched Mr. Yang pour his soul into that piece.

As a classical music fan, I was especially proud that the violin was chosen at such a venue. The performance was one of total respect for our anthem. A bonus occurred when the TV camera caught a football player with his hand over his heart during this song. How moving and nice.

DAVID TULANIAN

LOS ANGELES, CALIF.

HOAs and renters

To the editor:

This letter is a follow-up to Wesley Juhl’s excellent piece on homeowners association problems at Ironwood Estates (“Crime spree raises hackles of Vegas HOA,” Oct. 13 Review-Journal). I, too, live in a gated condominium, although not nearly as prestigious as Ironwood. However, our community has very similar problems, especially with renters who make a mess of the property.

Things got so bad that we had to spend $50,000 for a nighttime security officer. And we had to close our pool early this year because of continuous misbehavior, mostly by renters. Also, the Section 8 residents are just deplorable. I am sure we are not alone in this fight, but it would be tremendously helpful if the powers that be could help us cope and remove some of the unruly residents in our units.

TOM JOHNSON

LAS VEGAS