In Vegas, Wasting Water is a Sin

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In Vegas, wasting water is a sin http: / /aj e.printthis. clickability. com/pt/cpt ?action =cpt &title =In +Vega... On a "good day," Francis Reyes writes 40 citations. But most days, he and the 10 other Las Vegas water cops average about 14 apiece. On this fall morning, Reyes is patrolling in his Water Waste Investigator's SUV, looking for violators. On the overnight shift, he'd have his windows down to hear any water he couldn't see. He rolls past lawns with bright green grass and yards with rocks and desert landscaping, some of the latter no doubt the result of a financial incentive offered by the Southern Nevada Water Authority. Owners of new homes have no choice; no grass is allowed in front yards of new developments. Backyards can be half turf, a concession to children and dogs. Driving through a neighborhood of 1950s -era homes on quarter -acre lots, Reyes, 24, passes someone washing a silver van — washing vehicles once a week is permitted — and stops to warn a man draining a pool that he must feed the water into the sewer system for recycling. On the edge of an emerald green lawn, Reyes sees a defective sprinkler shooting water into the air like a geyser. Although outdoor watering is still permitted on a strict schedule, spilling water into the street is not. Reyes records the offense with a video camera, then logs onto his computer to check the address for previous citations. None. He checks "Broken sprinkler /emitter" on a form. If it's not repaired next time he checks, a fine will be added to the water bill for this address. Should the homeowner appeal, Reyes has his video evidence. Just as he gets out of the van to plant a small yellow flag at the precise scene of the crime, the automatic sprinkler system shuts off. Reyes sticks the pennant into the gleaming wet grass. More residents, less grass Conservation efforts saved Southern Nevada 18 billion gallons of water annually from 2002 to 2006 — a 20 percent reduction during a period when nearly 330,000 more residents moved in and 40 million tourists visited. Nevadans have cut five billion gallons a year just on the turf they've dug up since 2003, when the Southern Nevada Water Authority started paying people $1 a square foot to get rid of their grass so they wouldn't have to water it. The 26 golf clubs alone tore out 472 acres, the equivalent of five 18 -hole courses. The areas where play takes place — the rough, the fairway and the green — are still grass. Other parts of the course feature drought- tolerant plants, many of them desert natives. Doug Bennett, who moved to Vegas from New Mexico about the time the drought started in 2000, is the water authority's manager of conservation. He settled into a Las Vegas neighborhood of lush grass and immediately got rid of his. "If the only time people walk on that lawn they're pushing a mower, it's not functional," he said. Desert landscaping offers many possibilities beyond cacti, he said. Some colorful flowering plants and shrubs demand much less water than grass. Bennett believes regulations about how and when water can be used are more palatable here because Vegas and all its suburban satellites operate under the same rules. They're set by the regional water authority, formed in 1991 to bring together seven separate water jurisdictions. If each agency sets its own standards, Bennett said, "it's easy to send out mottled messages." of 5 11/26/2007 10:51 AM