Quantcast
MobileRJ | RSS TwitterTwitter FacebookFacebook E-mail Alerts
Home manage Las Vegas Review-Journal
  Jobs Cars Homes Shopping Travel Weddings Golf Best of Las Vegas Photo   Search:

RECENT EDITIONS
Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun

sponsored by
News
Jul. 24, 2008
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Study warns of water woes in Nevada

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ON THE WEB:

National Conference of State Legislatures

CARSON CITY -- A new study predicts that climate change will create devastating drought in Nevada and throughout the Southwest and continue to drop the levels of Lakes Mead and Powell, threatening the water supply for 2 million Nevadans.

The prediction came as part of a study released Wednesday by the National Conference of State Legislatures and the Center for Integrative Environmental Research.

Most Popular Stories
  • TRAFFIC STOP: Shooting accounts conflict
  • Man shot by police identified as local attorney
  • NORM: At time, drug use wasn't suspected
  • One motorcyclist killed, another critically injured in accident
  • Nurseries fence out day laborers
  • NORM: Marie Osmond, manager battling
  • Second person dies after being restrained by police
  • Boy struck, killed by car pulling out of driveway
  • Three children fall from vehicle; mothers arrested
  • REFUSING THEIR OWN MEDICINE: Vaccination policy spurs legal action




    • The study, paid for in part by the Environmental Defense Fund, analyzed the economic and environmental costs of global warming on 12 states.

    By 2100, average temperatures in Nevada might increase by up to four degrees in the spring and fall and by up to six degrees in the summer and winter. El Nino conditions probably will increase in frequency and duration.

    "These temperature changes will have major effects on evaporation and precipitation in the state. The decreased availability of water statewide is likely to affect development, tourism and power production," the study adds.

    "Unless we take action to cut the pollution causing climate change we will further jeopardize Nevada's water supply," said Dan Grossman, Rocky Mountain regional director for the Environmental Defense Fund. "The threat to the water supply in Nevada and other Western states demonstrate that the most expensive thing we can do about climate change is ignore it."

    Severe drought caused by climate change will constrain development and construction, and damage water-based recreation which brings in over $1 billion annually.

    Such drought conditions would cost government $3.5 billion to build new pipelines to meet Las Vegas' water demands, the report states.

    Newsvine Digg Fark Technorati reddit StumbleUpon del.icio.us Slashdot Propeller Mixx Furl Twitter MySpace Facebook Google Bookmarks Yahoo! Bookmarks Windows Live Favorites Ask MyStuff myAOL Favorites

    Leave Your Comment 19 Reader Comments
    Terms & Conditions
    The following comments are provided by readers and are the sole responsiblity of the authors. The reviewjournal.com does not review comments before publication nor guarantee their accuracy. By publishing a comment here you agree to abide by the comment policy. If you see a comment that violates the policy, please notify the web editor.

    Some comments may not display immediately due to an automatic filter. These comments will be reviewed within 48 hours. Please do not submit a comment more than once.
    Current Word Count:

    Note: Comments made by reporters and editors of the Las Vegas Review-Journal are presented with a yellow background.

    Report abuse

    gallelao wrote on July 24, 2008 07:00 PM: Ou812 is right on!

    That ring around Lake Mead? Painted on by left wing eco-terrorists!


    Report abuse

    JR wrote on July 24, 2008 03:36 PM: Its Nevada's water - not YOUR water.


    Report abuse

    Northern Nevadan wrote on July 24, 2008 01:46 PM: Stay away from our water!! You got into this drought problem yourselves with all the uncontrolled development and building houses in every piece of dirt, now you want to take OUR water? I don't care what you do, build a desalination plant in CA or whatever, but DON'T bring YOUR problems here.


    Report abuse

    0u812 wrote on July 24, 2008 01:22 PM: Doc, i voted twice and i plan on writing in George W Bush this election.
    Global warming was first published in the New York Times June 24 1903. Hey guess what, we are still here. Mother nature does her thing every year, day, century and hours. Al Gore should practice what he preaches along with all others of believers. You Doc, go totally green in your home, car, business along with gore and be carbon free. Gore has a 35 room mansion ran on what? he has suvs, ran on what?, he has a private plane?, ran on what? Doc same with you what do you run your toys and living on? For anyone to speak of carbon, should set the example. PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH and i will listen when you have been successful.


    Report abuse

    Roger wrote on July 24, 2008 11:39 AM: Why does it seem like SNWA will jump all over this?

    One thing is for sure, the growth boom of Vegas is history...


    Report abuse

    Mrstacy wrote on July 24, 2008 11:12 AM: This is the second study finding similar findings. We need to get that pipeline to the ocean in place ASAP. Taking it from Northern Nevada seems to be an expensive, temporary solution.

    Matt: A lot of our growth is from South of the Border. It is too late to control it now.


    Report abuse

    Angry Realist wrote on July 24, 2008 10:59 AM: Stop watering lawns! You are in the middle of a desert!

    Create a tiered pricing system that makes a lawn cost $1000+ a month. Then by all means DO NOT give that windfall money to Pat to waste on a theme park. No clue what she was thinking.


    Report abuse

    Doc wrote on July 24, 2008 10:57 AM: For those responding to this article who don't believe in the phemomenon of global climate change or the fact that human society has caused, let me ask you this question? How many of you detractors voted for George W. Bush twice?


    Report abuse

    mark wrote on July 24, 2008 10:00 AM: I'm not sure how much of the global warming hype to believe. It seems to be more religion than science. The Governor of Oregon fired the State Climatologist because he didn't subscribe to Al Gore's global warming theories. That's akin to excommunicating Gallileo. Regardless the current population of S Nevada is unsustainable. We may get a reprieve this year with Col snowpack but we live in a desert, it is a perpetual drought here. We have uncontrolled immigration compunding the problem. The best thing that can happen to the long term sustainability of LV is a severe economic crisis that will drive the Mexicans and many others home. We may be at the zenith of Las Vegas now.


    Report abuse

    Matt wrote on July 24, 2008 09:08 AM: This is a simple solution... Stop uncontrolled growth in Vegas and quit trying to rape northern Nevadan's of their water.


    Read All Comments