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Water Wars In The New West

Posted by: Abhijeet Chavan

12 March 2007 - 10:00am

Las Vegas, the driest metro region in the U.S., needs water as it grows rapidly. Where is it going to come from?

"Battles over water in the West are always about something more. At their most elemental, they are about survival....The struggle pits a neon-lighted big city against scrub-crusted cattle country...At the time, Las Vegas was little more than a dusty railroad stop, so Nevada received the smallest river share in the lower basin. It is on that comparatively meager portion that the Las Vegas Valley relies for 90% of its water...Colorado River politics have been compared to those of the Middle East, but without the guns...Las Vegas receives an average of 4 inches of rain annually, making it the driest metropolitan area in the country. But rather than embrace the desert, the city famously lured visitors and residents with a fantasy land of golf courses, casino fountains and sprawling pool complexes."

Full Story: Las Vegas looks north to slake its thirst
Source: The Los Angeles Times, March 7, 2007
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