LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – The latest housing report form the City of Las Vegas shows the population is expected to increase by nearly 7,000 people in the next five years.
This caused several existing homeowners to reach out to FOX5, worrying about current water usage amid a boom of new developments.
The Southern Nevada Water Authority has a plan for future usage. In fact, it’s a 50-year plan with UNLV, according to SNWA Outreach Manager, Bronson Mack.
“They provide that population projection which we convert to a water demand,” Mack said. “Then we’re able to see what water demands are expected to be over the next half century. So we can make sure that we pair the necessary resources to meet that demand.”
Mack says while the valley has grown, our water usage has actually declined.
All of this comes as Nevada is named the fastest-growing state in the country between July of 2000 and July of 2023, according to U.S. Census Bureau numbers.
Mack says since the year 2020, there have been 60,000 new connections to the municipal water system, and water use during that same time period declined 26%. It might seem worrying to valley residents because Mack says the highest 10% of residential water users are using about 30% of all the water delivered to residents.
Speaking of numbers, Mack says in spite of all the new builds and people moving to town, the water usage rates have gone in the opposite direction.
“What we’ve seen here in Southern Nevada is as our community has continued to grow, our water use has actually declined,” Mack said. “In fact, since 2002, our population has increased by more than 50%. But our water use has decreased by more than 40%.”
As for those heavy water users, Mack says tactics like excessive use charges have worked to bring their levels down and more in line with what’s expected.
Mack says water conservation involvement and participation, like grass removal and limiting water usage, has allowed us to be one of the most water-efficient communities in the country.
However, he adds that there is uncertainty in the future of water resources, not just for us in the southwest, but many other places as we deal with a warming planet.
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