Water conservation remains a critical issue for southern Nevada. Initial survey results for our 2050 master plan indicate that our residents believe water conservation is a critical part of planning for our future. While 90 percent of our water does come from the Colorado River, water usage in southern Nevada as a whole is down 36 percent from 2002 despite a 43 percent rise in our population.
Since 2008, we have reduced our water consumption from 1.47 billion gallons to 1.18 billion gallons in 2016. These savings were achieved through the replacement of more than 40-acres of grass with synthetic turf at city sports fields and parks. More than 75 million gallons of water per day have been recycled at the city’s wastewater treatment plants and used at golf courses around the valley or returned to Lake Mead.
Here are some other ways that we are working to conserve this precious resource.
Removing Passive Use Grass
In areas where grass isn’t used and enjoyed, like near street signs and medians, we have removed and stopped using grass. Thanks to this, we save 60 million gallons of water annually.
Drought Tolerant Median Landscaping
Thanks to new median improvements, we now use metal artwork along with desert landscaping, saving 100 million gallons of water each year.
Park Conservation Upgrades Planned
To further reduce our water use, conservation upgrades to Freedom, Lorenzi, Woofter and Leavitt Parks are currently planned.