# Las Vegas to Dry Up?



## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Las Vegas water source could run dry by 2021-study *
By Adam Tanner 

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Chances are about even that Lake Mead, the prime source of water for the desert city of Las Vegas, will run dry in 13 years if usage is not cut back, according to study released on Tuesday. 

The finding is the latest warning about water woes threatening the future of the fast-growing U.S. casino capital and comes amid a sustained drought in the American West. 

The study by two researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego calculates a 10 percent chance that Lake Mead will run dry in six years and a 50 percent probability it will be gone by 2021 absent other changes. 

"Our reaction was frankly one of being stunned," study co-author Tim Barnett, a marine research physicist, said in an interview. "We had not expected the problem to be so severe and so up close to us in time." 

Climate change -- both man-made and natural variation -- strong human demand and evaporation are all factors affecting water in the lake. "The biggest change right now is taking more water from the bucket than we are putting into it," Barnett said. 

The uncertainty about when and if the lake will run dry stems from the natural fluctuations of the Colorado River, which feeds the lake, the researcher said. In recent months the flow has been above average, he said, after years below average. 

The West has suffered years of drought with the Colorado supplying less water to Lake Mead, which serves Nevada, California, Arizona and northern Mexico. 

The lake created by Hoover Dam provides 90 percent of Las Vegas' water and is less than half full, giving the edge of the lake a bath tub ring visible even far away by air. 

Scott Huntley, a spokesman for the Southern Nevada Water Authority, said his agency overseeing the Las Vegas area's water was also concerned about reliance on Lake Mead as the major source for Las Vegas and officials were seeking alternate sources. 

"While we wholeheartedly support the authors' call for greater urban water conservation, it is important to also remember that agriculture uses four-fifths of the Colorado River's flows, so meaningful solutions cannot be borne solely by urban users," he said.


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## Unionstation13 (Aug 31, 2006)

Is this supposed to be a shock? :/


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## diz (Nov 1, 2005)

They should probably start building that really long pipe to another source.


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## mdiederi (Jun 15, 2006)

The problem isn't water usage in Las Vegas. All of the water that goes down the drain in Las Vegas flows directly back into Lake Mead. Whereas, the water that Arizona and California take out of Lake Mead flows out to the Pacific ocean or evaporates when they are done with it. So It's Arizona and California who are wasting the water. However, usage is not the cause of the problem. The cause of the low water level is the drought, so this report is basically predicting that it will stop snowing in the Colorado Rockies for the next 13 years, which is ridiculous. Also, Las Vegas has allocations that they still haven't used yet in 19 aquifers within 200 miles, mostly to the north, that nearly equal the current allocation from Lake Mead water. Many other cities have much lower water supplies than Las Vegas, but apparently Vegas is an easier target to pick on because of the conspicuous growth.


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## Jim856796 (Jun 1, 2006)

It would be bad if Lake Mead were to dry up. What happens if the lake dries up anyway? I don't know if California is using any water from Lake Mead.


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## LMCA1990 (Jun 18, 2005)

that would suck


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## gladisimo (Dec 11, 2006)

Jim856796 said:


> It would be bad if Lake Mead were to dry up. What happens if the lake dries up anyway? I don't know if California is using any water from Lake Mead.


socal gets a lot of its water from lake mead


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

There can still be runoff from the moutains and the lake levels can still be inadequate to meet demand. I wonder if any of this is comparable to what's happening in the Aral Sea.


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## fredcalif (Dec 3, 2003)

This is all BS.

I don't think all those billionaries would be investing billions on dollars on those resorts, if they know they will be dealing with water shortage.

Yes, just like they said, Japan is going to sink, California is going to fall into the ocean, Mexico City will be destroyed.

media media, and more media.

Vegas will never run out of water, i am sure they will come out with somethign if that happen.

There are always options


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## mdiederi (Jun 15, 2006)

gladisimo said:


> socal gets a lot of its water from lake mead


Yeah, California is allocated 500,000 acre feet per year from Lake Mead and a total of 4,400,000 acres from the Colorado River and they often steal an extra 800,000 acres per year on top of that. Whereas, Nevada is well within their allocation of 300,000 acres from Lake mead and only allocated another 100,000 acres from the rest of the Colorado River where it runs along the border of the state south of Hoover Dam.


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## krudmonk (Jun 14, 2007)

I am amazed!!!!!


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## may44 (Feb 7, 2008)

hno:i think that this is going to happen EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!


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## Accura4Matalan (Jan 7, 2004)

yeh, what about dubai?!


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Accura4Matalan said:


> yeh, what about dubai?!


Aren't they building a huge desalination plant? They're next to a huge body of water after all.


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## dhuwman (Oct 6, 2005)

the water's gonna be hella expensive then?


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## Oaronuviss (Dec 11, 2002)

De-Salinization...there's an entire Ocean not THAT far away.
Vegas has the money. Now put it to use. The city can quadruple in size for all they should care.


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## Galls (Feb 27, 2008)

Oaronuviss said:


> De-Salinization...there's an entire Ocean not THAT far away.
> Vegas has the money. Now put it to use. The city can quadruple in size for all they should care.


A De-Salinization plant requires a dedicated power plant. 

The people's republic will never let those environmental disasters be built.


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## goschio (Dec 2, 2002)

may44 said:


> hno:i think that this is going to happen EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!


Don't think so. More than enough water over here.


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## ♣628.finst (Jul 29, 2005)

may44 said:


> hno:i think that this is going to happen EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!


It would certainly happen in Hong Kong in the next decade.


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## ♣628.finst (Jul 29, 2005)

goschio said:


> Don't think so. More than enough water over here.


In Tasman Sea?


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