Despite a wet winter that swelled the Colorado River’s reservoirs this year, Lake Mead will head into 2024 under a federal water shortage for a third consecutive year.
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Rising temperatures have sapped more than 10 trillion gallons of water from the Colorado River over the last two decades, a recent study shows.
Las Vegas kicked off this year using far less water than previous years. But a dry outlook for the rest of summer could put a dent in those water use reductions.
Nevada is the first state in the nation to give a local water agency the power to limit individual home water use.
An error by SNWA, combined with pushback to a “nonfunctional turf” ban could leave the Las Vegas Valley short of the water savings it needs to continue growing without increasing its overall water use.
As much as one-third of Nevada’s normal share of the Colorado River would stay in Lake Mead, but officials say Las Vegas has been getting ready for this for years.
If the bill were to become law, Nevada would be the first state to give a water agency the power to cap the amount of water that flows into individual homes.
The Nevada Assembly voted 30-12 in favor of a wide-ranging water conservation bill that could lead to caps on residential water use in Las Vegas.
After dropping more than 50 feet since 2000, latest forecasts show Lake Mead rising by roughly 22 feet by the end of the year.
The two proposals show that “the tools available to the federal government are very blunt,” said John Entsminger, general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority.