LETTER: Desalination plants are no panacea for Las Vegas

I felt compelled to connection immoderate comments regarding John Neff’s missive advocating desalinization plants arsenic a solution to our h2o woes.

First, desalinization plants bash not outgo $32 cardinal to build, astatine slightest not successful the United States. The Carlsbad, California, works came successful astatine astir $1 billion, with $50 cardinal successful yearly operating expenses. A 2nd contented is the information Las Vegas has an elevation astir 2,000 feet higher than oversea level. In summation to billions of dollars successful infrastructure indispensable to tube h2o here, it would person to beryllium pumped uphill astatine a outgo of respective 100 cardinal dollars a year.

Additionally, desalinization plants nutrient immense amounts of brine, creating yet different biology situation for the oceans.

If we perfectly request desalinization plants — and notwithstanding biology issues — we whitethorn privation to money operation of the plant, past commercialized the h2o to California successful speech for accrued allocations of Colorado River water, assuming the Colorado continues to flow. We don’t needfully request to marque h2o successful Las Vegas costly via desalinization. We tin conscionable marque it expensive. We unrecorded successful the desert. Let’s proceed the absorption connected conservation, with an added inducement of conscionable making h2o much costly for those intent connected spraying it successful the aerial via fountains oregon done tract watering.