BOULDER CITY, NEV. — The methods aren't always popular for locals — forthcoming bans on nonfunctional turf, pool size restrictions, etc. — but the water saving outcomes are meant to ensure Southern Nevadans have enough water in the decades to come.
That's because future decline is all but guaranteed here at Lake Mead.
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"The lake is going to continue to go down with the usage of the water. It just is what it is," Noah Sanford, owner of Las Vegas Sportfishing, told Channel 13.
"Most people don't realize is that even though the lake is down a little over 170 feet vertically, if we drive out not even a half mile that way, the water is still well over 300 feet deep. In some parts almost 400 feet deep," Sanford said.
But still, the changes over time are evident.
"I can remember literally just seven or eight years ago this whole bank right here was completely underwater," he said. "I mean, we'd be almost 200 feet underwater right now if it was 30 years ago."
Despite the visible changes, Sanford remains optimistic.
"Luckily we've got construction going on right now and you can see all these concrete slabs back there and everything. They are extending the launch ramp about several hundred feet right now," Sanford said.
"As long as there's still water, I'm good to go," he continued.
It's a confidence shared by Nevada's Colorado River negotiator John Entsminger, who says the taps in Las Vegas aren't at risk.
"First and foremost, Las Vegas is the most water secure city in the southwestern United States. That starts with our infrastructure. We can pump water out of Lake Mead at a point where it is physically impossible to release water downstream to Arizona and California," Entsminger said.
Even though the majority of our water locally comes from the river, Nevada gets the smallest share of any state.
"We do more with less than anybody else on the river," Entsminger said.
That's just about 300,000 acre feet of water to the Silver State annually. (One acre-foot is about a football field filled with one foot of water, supplying a few households a year).
"76% of the state of Nevada's population gets 90% of their water from the Colorado River," Entsminger explained, "We're using over 35% less water today than we were in 2002, even after having added over 800,000 new residents."
"I think a common assumption is that growth automatically increases water consumption, and that's just not true when you look at the actual numbers," Entsminger said.
The Southern Nevada Water Authority is planning for a future with less water and more people — and conservation methods continue to be integrated into planning.
It's something fisherman Noah Sanford says more states should do.
"As least they're taking the right precautions to maintain the launch ramp for people like me who use the lake every day for work," Sanford said.
"There has to be some sort of change in the near future when it comes to the the water usage, and a lot of the water is being wasted too," he continued referencing Arizona and California downstream.
Water sharing agreements for the Colorado River expire this year, and the seven basin states have until February 14 to come up with a solution or risk federal takeover.
The stakes remain high. Water cuts throughout the basin have not been ruled out.
