LETTER: Water chief’s new program merits praise

To the editor:

It was refreshing to read Southern Nevada Water Authority chief John Entsminger’s comments confirming that it’s unnecessary to build a $15 billion water pipeline to save Las Vegas (“Water authority chief says valley has options,” July 16 Review-Journal). Not only is it not needed, but it would provide only half of Las Vegas’ water needs, and paying for it would bankrupt the valley’s economy.

The answer to the problem is to reduce consumption to match the supply of Colorado River. Taking out 20 to 30 percent more water than what is coming into the lake cannot be sustained. But Mr. Entsminger mentioned a new conservation program that will pay farmers, cities and power companies to cut back consumption. Such a free-market approach is ideal to weed out wasteful uses and avert the crisis, and it’s an approach that is long overdue.

TOM KELLER

HENDERSON