Las Vegas Review-Journal - Opinion

First and foremost, the golf industry adds almost $1 billion each year to the Nevada economy. Golf is an integral part of any resort destination throughout this country or abroad.

Golf courses use less than 8 percent of the valley's water, and that number is shrinking due to technological advances as well as superintendents' vigilant water management. Golf courses have removed 500 acres of turf, or the equivalent of five full-size courses, in the past few years, utilizing the Southern Nevada Water Authority's Water Smart programs. Golf courses are simply the most efficient water users in any water use category. We utilize the most advanced computerized control systems in combination with on-site weather stations to adjust our water usage 365 days a year. Water is golf courses' No. 1 cost of doing business, and therefore it is imperative that we manage our water efficiently.

Golf courses spend considerable staffing resources to manage this precious and expensive liquid. An average golf course will have two to four employees whose full-time job is to manage water. The rate increase recently passed by the Las Vegas Valley Water District, which will mean an increase to an average homeowner of a few dollars a month, can mean an additional $200,000 annually or more to a golf course's bottom line. With most other business costs skyrocketing as well, we cannot pass these increases onto our customers.

Golf courses are not green because they waste water. We fertilize correctly, we airify turf correctly, we chose the correct type of turf grass, we water correctly, and we have highly trained staff to identify and fix irrigation problem areas immediately. We apply wetting agents correctly. These are expensive chemicals that help the water to penetrate our poor desert soil, or help it hold on to moisture longer.

Golf course superintendents have worked closely with the Southern Nevada Water Authority to develop water budgets for golf courses to follow to reduce water usage during this period of drought, and have significantly reduced water use along with homeowners.

The golf course industry in Las Vegas is a critical part of our tourism machine, and we must not cause irreparable harm to a huge part of our already shaky economy without looking at the facts.

P.J. McGuire

LAS VEGAS

THE WRITER IS PRESIDENT OF THE SOUTHERN NEVADA GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENTS ASSOCIATION.

Teaching math

To the editor:

In response to recent stories about the Clark County School District's high school and middle school math test failure rates: I never realized what a wonderful public high school I taught at in Binghamton, N.Y., until I moved here. We averaged 90 percent passing rates on our state math exams, and our superintendent thought we could do better. It was a blue-color school district.

I am shocked that the superintendent out here is amazed by the math scores. Does he ever come out of his office and visit the schools in Clark County? I watched the news for 10 minutes and knew the answer to the problem. My superintendent would never allow a core subject to have more than 23 students in a class. On TV, I see classes of six rows and seven or more students to a row.

There is no way much education can go on in a class of that size. It will take the teacher at least five minutes to take attendance and get the class ready to begin. With a class of this size, you are going to have eight to 10 kids who will be disruptive.

Do you really believe that your son or daughter is going to get any individualized help in classes of these sizes? Do you really believe a teacher has time to correct more than 200 students' homework each night and get eight hours of sleep?

This school district gets what it pays for. When I hear Wynn Las Vegas dealers complain that they, with their high school degrees, make only $90,000 a year, and this state wants to pay teachers $38,000 to educate their children, I have to laugh and cry at the same time.

Noel Topper

LAS VEGAS

Water rates

To the editor:

For months we have seen Southern Nevada Water Authority General Manager Pat Mulroy on TV, congratulating us on how, through concerted conservation efforts, we used 1 billion fewer gallons of water last year than in previous years. Now, however, water rates are going to increase by as much as 30 percent? Am I the only person who sees the irony in this situation? What is the justification for raising rates? "We are selling less, so we have to increase the price to maintain our salaries"?

The water district should impose serious, meaningful fines on water wasters. If they do this, maybe the conservation efforts would increase without having to raise rates.

Randy L. Shereda

LAS VEGAS