Where is all this LV water coming from?

Back in the early 60's when no one went to Las Vegas, they used to have little signs on all the tables in all the restaurants letting one and all know how precious the water was in this part of the desert.

In essence it said,"Please ask the waitress if you want water" and then went into some elaborate detail on the scarcity of H2O in the area.

Some important people even stated that the water supply in Las Vegas would run out before the 80's if everyone continued to use water as they were during those early days in yjr 60's.

And back then no one had the slightest idea how big the city would be by 2001.

So where did all this water come from?

I no longer see those little signs on the tables and water in every form appears to be available in abundance. Even the ice cubes have gotten larger and one golf course drinks up more in a month than I can consume in a couple of lifetimes.

Are they making more now a days or what?

And how long will it last until the last drop is wrung out of the last wet rock?

Will it ever come to that?

Al Roker stated in one of his Vegas documentaries that the water in all of the decorative fountains, etc was coming from, would you believe "recycled bath water"

As Wendell wrote....I have heard the recycled bath water story several times?
Does anyone else remember the fellow that a number of years ago stated that he knew the location of an underground river that would supply much water forever? He would not divulge its location without a percentage or something?
We often laugh and comment on the fact of telling our parents (or Grandparents) that we are buying water they would laugh and not believe us!!....

I too, have more questions than answers. The water comes from Lake Mead, and if you look, you see that the water level is low. Of course it's low from drought and not from human consumption. Look just upstream at Lake Powell and you will see that it is about 150 feet low. I would like to know how much of the refill rate is affected by human consumption.

There are signs at the outdoor water exhibits that say that the water being used complies with the local code. And that code states that they will use "gray water". That includes bath water. Imagine how much each person uses daily in baths and toilet flushes.

I remember a story back about Septermber of some company with a water feature and they did not have enough gray water supply their fountains, so they had fresh water trucked in from a non-drought area. The local government didn't like it and there was some heated arguments about it. I don't remember how it turned out.

For my own fun facts, I know that my water softener says that I average using 87 gallons per day. My water bill says I use just over 90 gallons per day. There are drought restrictions in place for watering lawns and plants, washing cars, and other usage. My water bill is usually about $7. That tells me that there is no financial deterrent to make me want to think twice about how much water I use.

In defense of the water features, I read that they use less water than if the casino's had installed grass in their place.

I forgot to mention that the Wynn LV has artificial turf in the front of the hotel.

Real stuff on the golf course though.

And someone recently told me that there was a TV show on this very subject and it was claimed that the LV area would have no more water by the year 2010 due to its anticipated population growth.

So I guess those little placards on the tables were full of lies back in 1961!

I was on Lake Mead this weekend and from all the beer I consumed I was able to do my share to bring the lake level back up from the back of my boat.

It also cut down on the number of trips I had to take the boat over to the pump-out dock to empty the holding tank. :p

Las Vegas Valley Groundwater Basin
The Las Vegas Valley groundwater basin measures approximately 1,600 square miles, stretching from the Spring Mountains in the west to Frenchman Mountain in the east, the McCullough Range in the south and the Sheep Range in the north.

The hydrographic basin is the area of land that catches the rain and snow that drains or filters into our creeks, washes and groundwater system. Water in the Las Vegas Valley drains from west to east, ultimately flowing through the Las Vegas Wash and its tributaries to Lake Mead.

There are two major aquifers in the basin -- the principal aquifer and the shallow aquifer. The principal aquifer is located between 100 and 1,000 feet below land surface. The bottom of the shallow aquifer is located 50 feet or less below land surface and is found mostly in the central and southern parts of the valley.

How is groundwater replenished?
Groundwater is replenished through a process called natural recharge. The Las Vegas groundwater basin is naturally recharged from precipitation on the mountain ranges surrounding the valley

Fascinating info, Larry, but I can't help wondering just how much of that groundwater the Cajun contaminated.

Daisy, Cajun water is in Lake Mead the stuff they send to California.

Dang Larry, you're pretty sharp. I didn't think that you knew that much about the water supply here. Thanks for the info.

Thanks, Larry, but do yu have any idea when there won't be enough water to serve that town? Is there a possibility that they could ever run out or simply not have enough to meet the daily demand like they used to claim in the early 60's?

Will, as far back as 1946 thay did a 44 year study and didn't think the water would last the expanding popluation. But I wouldn't worry they won't run out in your lifetime. Not with all the programs Clark county, the State and the feds are running to reclaim, recycle, etc.

A local news story while I was in Las Vegas said the lake is actually gaining ground this year so far. A pleasent suprise from recent years.
I guess the danger in running a story like that is that it makes it sound as thought everything will right itself, and they are a long way from ever getting back to the way it used to be.
I'd also hate to see people getting careless with the precious commodity.

That is interesting. Now and then I try to find out how the snow pack is doing in The Rocky Mountains.

Apparently, almost all of the water level of Lake Mead is due to how much snow fell in the Rockies, melted in the Spring, and consequently supplied by way of the Colorado River.

When I see that there's a blizzard in The Rockies on a weather report, I don't think, "that'll be good for the ski resorts" I think, "that'll be good for Lake Mead".

Of course, at Hoover Dam, they could raise the level of the Lake at any time, just by not releasing as much water downstream to the Imperial Valley etc. But that's not about to happen.

So, from the information Larry provided (which I didn't realize), 15% of the water used in the Las Vegas Valley is non municipal, provided by 6,800 wells; drawing on ground water. The other 85% of the water used is municipal, (pipeline) which is provided by Lake Mead.