{"id":7583,"date":"2014-06-29T19:39:03","date_gmt":"2014-06-29T19:39:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forumarchives.tmsites.net\/index.php\/2014\/06\/29\/how-dry-we-are-nevada-desperate-for-a-drink\/"},"modified":"2014-06-29T19:39:03","modified_gmt":"2014-06-29T19:39:03","slug":"how-dry-we-are-nevada-desperate-for-a-drink","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumarchives.tmsites.net\/index.php\/2014\/06\/29\/how-dry-we-are-nevada-desperate-for-a-drink\/","title":{"rendered":"How dry we are: Nevada desperate for a drink"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n\"\"
\n\tLake Mead down 150′ since 2000<\/span><\/p>\n

\tLake Mead\u2019s bathtub ring is growing while the water level keeps dropping. In May, the lake level was down to an elevation of 1,087 feet, the 10th-lowest monthly reading since the 1930s, when the lake was filled.<\/p>\n

\n\tSinking fast
\n\tLake Mead is full when the water level hits 1,219 feet in elevation. Federal rules mandate cuts in water use when the lake surface drops to 1,075 feet. It\u2019s considered a \u201cdead pool\u201d when it falls to 895 feet. Here are the elevations from May for the past 15 years:<\/p>\n

\tYear \u2014 Elevation<\/p>\n

\t2000 \u2014 1,207<\/p>\n

\t2001 \u2014 1,187<\/p>\n

\t2002 \u2014 1,162<\/p>\n

\t2003 \u2014 1,144<\/p>\n

\t2004 \u2014 1,129<\/p>\n

\t2005 \u2014 1,141<\/p>\n

\t2006 \u2014 1,131<\/p>\n

\t2007 \u2014 1,115<\/p>\n

\t2008 \u2014 1,107<\/p>\n

\t2009 \u2014 1,096<\/p>\n

\t2010 \u2014 1,095<\/p>\n

\t2011 \u2014 1,097<\/p>\n

\t2012 \u2014 1,119<\/p>\n

\t2013 \u2014 1,108<\/p>\n

\t2014 \u2014 1,087<\/p>\n

\tAbout 90 percent of Southern Nevada\u2019s water comes from Lake Mead, which is fed by the drought-stricken Colorado River. If the lake drops another 12 feet, federal rules will kick in to cut water use, something that could happen within a year or so.<\/p>\n

\tNevada is the driest state in the nation thanks to a 14-year drought. The Southern Nevada Water Authority has done a good job preparing, but there is still more to be done.<\/p>\n

\tLike what?<\/p>\n

\tNegotiate<\/p>\n

\tWater originally was apportioned in the 1920s when Las Vegas was a small town. A readjustment is long overdue. But even without the pressure of the drought, the Law of the River, as it\u2019s called, is complex and negotiations are difficult. There are seven states, the federal government and a series of water districts involved. Environmental and advocacy groups also play key roles. There is truth in the old adage that in the West, whiskey is for drinking and water is for fighting.<\/p>\n

\tTakeaway: Negotiations are always good, but this is a long-term discussion. With the drought, there\u2019s little room for Las Vegas to negotiate. We need and deserve more water.<\/p>\n

\tConservation<\/p>\n

\tSouthern Nevada has essentially multiplied the water supply by reducing the amount of grass in the region and cutting outdoor use. Still, it can save more by reducing indoor use. And not just Nevada. This is a regional issue, and the discussion should include farming. The river is used to irrigate crops that use significant amounts of water for little return, such as alfalfa. That should be reconsidered.<\/p>\n

\tTakeaway: As important as conservation is, it\u2019s not a magic bullet; you can\u2019t conserve what you don\u2019t have.<\/p>\n

\tSupply and demand<\/p>\n

\tDemand is increasing as the river basin\u2019s water dwindles. There simply isn\u2019t the water to support the population. Almost 40 million people depend on the river, and it irrigates nearly 5.5 million acres of farmland. The Bureau of Reclamation, which runs dams on the river, reports that it already is overdrawn.<\/p>\n

\tTakeaway: With population growth and the drought, there\u2019s a need for more water.<\/p>\n

\tNew sources<\/p>\n

\tDesalination plants have been proposed in exchange for keeping California\u2019s share of the river. That\u2019s a fine idea, but if the river is drying up, that won\u2019t help much. Southern Nevada has proposed building a pipeline to rural parts of the state to bring water to the metropolitan area. Other states are looking at their own options, all of which have run into controversy over cost and environmental impacts.<\/p>\n

\tTakeaway: The question is how Nevada and the West get more water and at what cost.<\/p>\n

\tBottom line<\/p>\n

\tWater should be a top priority this election year, and candidates should be pressed to address the issue. Southern Nevada drives the economy, and the economy needs water. SNWA\u2019s proposal to build a pipeline has run into opposition, and opponents should propose a better solution before condemning it.<\/p>\n

\tTakeaway: Water has fueled growth, and without more water, Nevada and the West will shrivel. Politicians can\u2019t put this issue off.<\/p>\n

\n

Replies:<\/h3>\n

No replies were posted for this topic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lake Mead down 150′ since 2000 Lake Mead\u2019s bathtub ring is growing while the water level keeps dropping. In May, the lake level was down to an elevation of 1,087 feet, the 10th-lowest monthly reading since the 1930s, when the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7583","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-latest-casino-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumarchives.tmsites.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7583","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumarchives.tmsites.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumarchives.tmsites.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumarchives.tmsites.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/36"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumarchives.tmsites.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7583"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumarchives.tmsites.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7583\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumarchives.tmsites.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7583"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumarchives.tmsites.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7583"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumarchives.tmsites.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7583"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}