LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — With her tires rolling through what she describes in all caps as "A HUGE WASTE OF WATER" Las Vegas local Danielle Allen records video from her cell phone at the Sunset Office Plaza near the airport at 3027 E. Sunset Road — right across from Sunset Park.
Her question, punctuated with frustration: "Why hasn't it been fixed or stopped?!?"
Danielle emailed to ask "Darcy, what's the deal?"
And I got some answers for her...
She says she and her neighbors reported the issue to the Las Vegas Valley Water District at least five times and got no response. That after seeing water flowing from the property for more than a month.
Danielle wrote, "There is no way that cops or county workers haven't seen this huge amount of water pouring down this parking lot. The ground is green. If this was just an average Joe watering their lawn or draining a pool, it would've been taken care of already. It is truly an insane flow and output of water just constantly going. We're told to conserve water and yet this is left unaddressed?!"
After Danielle asked me 'What's the deal?' I reached out to the Water District and learned that they're well aware of the property and the issue.
You've got questions, and we want to help you get answers. Reach out to Darcy here and she will work to get an explanation and help ensure accountability.
They say it is not water waste. It's not water from the distribution system. It’s not drinking water. It’s not a leak on this property. It's shallow groundwater that has seeped to the surface.
It's also referred to as ‘nuisance water’ which, again, the Water District emphasizes is not part of our community’s water supply. They say it’s the same shallow groundwater that hotels on the strip have to pump out of their basements or underground parking garages.
The area around the airport is known for seasonal shallow groundwater. In fact, if you’ve ever driven through the 215-connector tunnel and wondered why water is dripping on your windshield or the road is wet as you drive through, that, too, is shallow groundwater.
The property owner told me the issue first surfaced about five months ago, and they have been trying to resolve it. They're working with the Nevada Division of Water Resources, which is the state agency that has jurisdiction over groundwater.
We asked the Nevada Division of Water Resources exactly how something like that gets fixed. They said they can't force the property owner to do anything, but they are working to help him understand the process of applying for a permit to drill a well, pump the water out, and then either find a use for it or drain it into the wash.
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