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In Vegas, wasting water is a sin <br />a <br />J c;�[I;l:I i7t l'I ' l l iki Sit. <br />ajc.com > Metro <br />In Vegas, wasting water is a sin <br />Seven years of drought: Conservation for fast - growing city, but that won't be enough. <br />By GAYLE WHITE <br />The Atlanta Journal- Constitution <br />Published on: 11/25/07 <br />EMAIL THIS I Close <br />LAS VEGAS — Outside the Bellagio casino, tourists stare at fountains thrusting water into the sky as <br />Elvis sings "Viva Las Vegas." Meanwhile, off the Strip, residents dig up their lawns to save water — and <br />get paid for it. <br />That's the paradox in this desert town where water lured people thousands of years before <br />casino - constructed wonders such as the canals of the Venetian, the shark reef of Mandalay Bay and the <br />fountains of the Bellagio. <br />By the 1800s, a life- sustaining spring on the Old Spanish Trail had inspired travelers to label this spot <br />Las Vegas, "the meadows." Then in 1935, the Hoover Dam opened on the Colorado River, creating what <br />is now Lake Mead. The region seemed guaranteed a reliable flow of water as far into the future as <br />anyone could see. <br />But the original spring dried up 45 years ago, and now Lake Mead is in serious trouble. A seven -year <br />drought has the 157,000 -acre reservoir looking as if someone pulled the plug, leaving a waterline 100 <br />feet high that locals labeled "the bathtub ring." <br />Reminds you of Lake Lanier. <br />When it comes to water, the Big Peach has a thing or two in common with Sin City. <br />Both are among the country's fastest - growing cities. Nevada shares the Colorado River with six other <br />states; Georgia competes with Alabama and Florida for the Chattahoochee. And in Las Vegas, as in <br />Atlanta, the rain has stopped falling. <br />Las Vegas, a few years ahead of Atlanta on the drought curve, responded with an all -out assault on <br />wasteful attitudes and an exhaustive search for new water sources. <br />The city offered inducements to cut consumption, negotiated agreements with other regions and <br />proposed a controversial pipeline that resulted in a tug of war with a neighboring state. <br />Water cops on the beat <br />Las Vegas takes conservation seriously enough to give its water agency its own police force. <br />http: / /aj c. printthis .clickability.com /pt/cpt ?action =cpt &title= In+Vega... <br />of 5 11/26/2007 10:51 AM <br />