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Southern Nevada Water Authority opposes water recycling at homes; Return less to Lake Mead, it says, and we’ll get less out

Posted by: Maven on April 13, 2009 at 5:30 am

From the Las Vegas Sun:

In Las Vegas, water used indoors travels a continuous loop. From homes, water flows to a treatment plant, which sends it back to Lake Mead. Then an equivalent amount is pumped from the lake, and the 12-mile journey to treatment plants and Southern Nevada’s taps begins again.

The Southern Nevada Water Authority wants that system preserved because it allows Las Vegas to consume more than its annual 300,000-acre-foot allotment from the Colorado River. Water returned to the lake converts to credits that the Water Authority can use to pump more water from the lake.

But some homeowners, builders and environmentalists watching this continuous loop wonder: Why not shorten the distance water travels by allowing homes to keep and recycle the water they use — what’s known as graywater? Water from sinks, showers and washing machines could be reused to more efficiently and cheaply water lawns or other landscaping, they say.

Building codes in Clark County don’t allow household graywater recycling. The water authority, after studying the idea, decided this year to make it official policy to oppose it.

The debate over how and where water recycling should occur, in a region with a diminishing supply, flared up last week in Carson City during debate on Assembly Bill 363, which would allow household graywater recycling. Beyond questions of energy efficiency and water conservation, the debate came down to the concept of property: Once a household uses water, who owns it?

Read more from the Las Vegas Sun by clicking here.

April 13, 2009 · Filed Under Las Vegas & Nevada

Comments

One Response to “Southern Nevada Water Authority opposes water recycling at homes; Return less to Lake Mead, it says, and we’ll get less out”

  1. WaterSource on April 13th, 2009 2:17 pm

    Interesting that the residents of Las Vegas and the Las Vegas editor don’t understand the signficance of allowing grey water use.

    For example, if a 1000 gallons is supplied to a household and 900 gallons returns for credit and repumping, it is only a 100 gallon net loss of water.

    If grey water is used, zero returns and the 1000 gallons is totally consumed with no return credits.

    The person who has a grey water system will use 10 TIMES more water than the person without the grey water system !

    Sadly, Vegas & the Southern Nevada Water Authority have been offered a new fresh water Source of a million acre feet a year to use and utilize to keep Lake Mead resonably FULL rather than see it go dry as predicted, but that of course is of no real interest, even when the SNWA has to spend hundreds of thousands to lengthen their straws into Lake Mead as it recedes !

    The assurance of 2000 megawatts of renewable energy from Lake Mead and the restoration of the Colorado River Delta are also of no interest … neither is a measly 68,000 AF a year for the old All American Canal for recharge purposes to keep Mexicali and its 1.3 million people from going without water in exchange for the enforcement of drug and immigration laws.

    WaterSource Ray Walker Retired Water Rights Analyst waterrdw@yahoo.com

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