Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2022 | 2 a.m.
Nevada U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto speaks to local business leaders during the Vegas Chamber Eggs & Issues event at the Sahara Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022.
Measures announced last week by the Department of the Interior for 2023 that call for Nevada to lose 8% of its water allotment from the Colorado River amid the continuing drought aren’t sitting well with local elected officials.
They say Nevada has been a leader in conservation and water-saving innovation, as witnessed by one simple fact: Despite having one of the nation’s fastest-growing metro areas, Nevada uses less water today than it did 20 years ago.
Now it’s time for other states who share the dwindling supply in the Colorado River to do the same, U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., said.
The Colorado River supplies water to 40 million people in seven U.S. states and Mexico and is vitally important to an agricultural industry valued at $15 billion a year.
“I want to be clear, we use less than our allotment,” Cortez Masto said. “We use less than our allotment because we’ve done such a great job here in Nevada, particularly in Southern Nevada, and we are one of the only areas in the nation using less water each year. That’s why it was so disappointing that despite leading in all these conservation efforts, the U.S. Department of the Interior recently announced that Nevada will face another cut.”
Cortez Masto on Monday joined John Entsminger, the general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, in calling for action.
She is asking for details from Department of Interior on how it will distribute the $4 billion in funding to combat drought that is part the Inflation Reduction Act, the sweeping $750 billion health care, tax and climate bill signed last week into law by President Joe Biden.
“I’m urging them to distribute this funding as quickly as possible and prioritize the funding very clearly, and it’s written in the language,” said Cortez Masto, who got the $4 billion written into the act. “My goal here was to make this very specific, prioritize that funding for those states that are engaging in meaningful long-term and permanent reductions in their water use.”
She said the Department of the Interior needs to make sure all states are engaging in comprehensive conservation actions, similar to what Nevada continues to do.
“Nevada holds the blueprint that other states should follow,” she said.
That includes Nevada Assembly Bill 356 prohibiting the watering of decorative nonfunctional grass turf, which was signed into law in June by Gov. Steve Sisolak. The law applies to areas served by the Southern Nevada Water Authority and requires the affected properties to replace their grassy areas.
Entsminger says a similar elimination plan has been instituted in Aurora, Colo., and part of Salt Lake City and St. George, Utah.
“So the stuff that we’re doing is spreading. I just think our partners need to pick it up,” he said.
Officials from the seven Colorado River Basin states in June were asked by the Department of the Interior to work toward an agreement to trim their water use by at least 15%. Representatives from the states met in Denver two weeks ago for last-minute negotiations, but the proposals fell short of what was demanded, in forcing the Department of Interior to announce the reduction.
Besides reductions in Nevada, Arizona will see a 21% reduction in its water allocation and Mexico will take a 7% cut. In addition, Nevada, Arizona, California, New Mexico and Utah were asked to consider further conservation measures.
The effect of Nevada’s reductions will be mitigated because Southern Nevada recycles indoor water and doesn’t use its full annual allocation from Lake Mead.
Talks between the states continue to move at a slow pace, Entsminger indicated Monday.
“Everyone is committed to picking up the negotiations. Last week was what it was, and now that those declarations are behind them, we need to pick up the pieces and move forward,” he said.
And that, Cortez Masto said, is going to take more than Nevada doing its share. All of the states need to answer the call.
“I am committed to exploring all options to help protect the water supply,” she said. “Now it’s time for the administration to step up to do what they need to do to ensure that all the water users along the Colorado are working together.”
