Blame it on the (lack of) rain: Nevada’s water use soars in 2024

Despite homeowners converting 6.4 million square feet of grass last year to keep water use down, Nevada’s use swelled in 2024 compared with the previous year, according to preliminary estimates.

Blame that on the weather, Southern Nevada Water Authority staff said at a board meeting on Thursday.

“We need to remember how wet 2023 was and how cold it was, because that really pushed our demands forward,” said Colby Pellegrino, the water authority’s deputy general manager.

Consumptive water use, or water lost and not returned to Lake Mead, came in at 212,171 acre-feet. One acre-foot of water is roughly enough to sustain two single-family households for a year.

Last year tied 2017 for the warmest year on record in Las Vegas, with a record 112 days of triple-degree temperatures, according to the National Weather Service. Higher temperatures, spurred by climate change, dry out the soils in what’s already the driest state in the nation.

The 2024 water use number represents a 25,300 acre-foot increase compared with 2023. It’s still well under Nevada’s 300,000 acre-foot annual share of water from the Colorado River.

All indoor water in Las Vegas is recycled and returned to Lake Mead, allowing the community to use more than its allocation.

Pellegrino pointed to how last year’s water use number is still 5,390 acre-feet less than the average from 2021 to 2023. It’s a sign that conservation is working, she said.

“We’re moving in the right direction,” Pellegrino said.

Conservation at historic highs in Las Vegas area

While water use was set back in the year-to-year comparison, efforts to conserve water continue.

A Nevada law signed in 2021 mandated the removal of so-called “nonfunctional turf,” or grass considered decorative rather than functional, by the end of 2026. It prevents water agencies from providing service to customers left with such grass after the deadline, said John Entsminger, general manager of the water authority.

That doesn’t include the yards of single-family homeowners, though the federal government provided a $60 million boost last week to the program that provides rebates to those who voluntarily convert their lawns to feature water-smart landscaping.

Pellegrino acknowledged that some are hesitant to remove nonfunctional turf and added that the water authority is working on more targeted advertisements.

“There is a strong reluctance that we’re seeing in about an eighth to a fifth of the people we surveyed that know they have nonfunctional turf and they really don’t care,” she said. “If you talk to some of those folks, you might tell them: We’re serious. It’s got to go.”

One of the most vocal opponents of widespread turf removal is Laura McSwain, president of the Water Fairness Coalition, a growing group of neighborhood leaders and Clark County residents who don’t believe turf removal is a fair solution to water shortages.

Among the coalition’s concerns is the fact that fewer green spaces means higher temperatures across the valley — a phenomenon felt deeply with last year’s all-time record of 120 degrees recorded at Harry Reid International Airport.

“Why is your use going up if you’re taking out all this grass?” McSwain asked. “They want to get high-fives for conservation, and then here you’ve got these debilitating impacts that are only going to make it worse.”

Though Nevada is a leader in conservation, McSwain believes sacrificing quality of life is not the answer to drought.

“We get a measly 300,000 acre-feet of water,” she said, referencing the annual allocation Nevada is afforded from the Colorado River. “We’re using it efficiently. Why are we destroying our environment? Why are we going after residents?”

Contact Alan Halaly at ahalaly@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlanHalaly on X.