In what has been described as a "poster child" for future water showdowns in the west, local interests in Las Vegas are attempting a water grab from ranch land 275 miles north of the city.
"It’s Mammon versus Mormon as Las Vegas and its glittering towers of glass and greed seek to quench their growing thirst by draining billions of gallons of water from under the feet of ranchers whose cattle help feed the church’s poor," reports Edvard Pettersson.
"The surface of Las Vegas’s main source of water, Lake Mead, sits more than 100 feet below Hoover Dam’s spillways after reaching the lowest mark last summer since the dam was filled. As it seeks new sources, the city’s water supplier is waging a court fight over plans to suck as much as 27 billion gallons a year from the valley that is home to the Mormon ranch and its 1,750-head herd, as well as three other rural valleys."
The location in question is Spring Valley, near Route 50, where the Southern Nevada Water Authority would claim the 7,000-acre Cleveland Ranch owned by the Mormon church. The Spring Valley aquifer is one of four that the Southern Nevada Water Authority would connect to a 263-mile pipeline approved in 2007 and again in 2012, but currently delayed by ongoing litigation.
Read the full story: Sin City's Thirst Is Drying Up the West
Sales Tax to Fund Water Projects Extended in Las Vegas Region
The Clark County Commission is extending a sales tax, created in 1998, which could have drawn to a close after raising $2.3 billion or the year 2025, whichever came first. The tax will remain in place indefinitely.
New Las Vegas Golf Courses Barred From Using Colorado River Water
A new rule from the Las Vegas Valley Water District prohibits new golf courses in the city from using Colorado River water for irrigation.
Nevada Bans the Use of Colorado River Water for Ornamental Grass
AB 356 could be "the most aggressive municipal water conservation measure that's been taken in the western United States."
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
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