New golf courses can’t use Colorado River water, Las Vegas board says

New play courses that travel to Las Vegas won’t beryllium capable to usage Colorado River h2o for irrigation, a municipal h2o committee decided connected Tuesday.

The regularisation change, approved unanimously by the Las Vegas Valley Water District board, volition impact lone caller courses coming to the metropolis of Las Vegas and unincorporated Clark County. Existing courses volition beryllium capable to proceed utilizing municipal h2o from the river.

The determination comes conscionable months aft national officials declared a h2o shortage for Lake Mead, the root of astir 90 percent of Southern Nevada’s water. The shortage declaration volition slash Nevada’s allocation of h2o by astir 6.8 cardinal gallons adjacent year.

Under the rules approved connected Tuesday, caller play courses could usage groundwater rights if they person them, but whitethorn not usage Colorado River h2o delivered by the Las Vegas Valley Water District, spokesperson Bronson Mack said.

The alteration does not trim the magnitude of h2o presently being consumed successful Southern Nevada, but does forestall further consumptive usage owed to play people irrigation.

On average, play courses successful Southern Nevada user 725 acre-feet — astir 236 cardinal gallons — each year. One acre-foot is astir what 2 Las Vegas Valley homes usage implicit the people of 16 months.

Golf courses relationship for astir 6 percent of Southern Nevada’s full h2o use, Mack said. Residents usage astir 60 percent of the area’s water.

Most of the h2o utilized astatine play courses is utilized for irrigation oregon mislaid to evaporation and cannot beryllium returned to Lake Mead, according to the h2o district.

Water conservation successful Southern Nevada depends astir wholly connected outdoor usage due to the fact that astir each driblet of h2o utilized wrong is treated and sent backmost to Lake Mead for aboriginal use.

Golf courses person taken steps to conserve implicit the past 2 decades, replacing astir 900 acres of turf — the equivalent of 9 nonrecreational courses — from non-playing areas, Mack said. That’s capable turf removal to prevention astir 22 cardinal gallons of h2o implicit that clip period.

Contact Blake Apgar astatine bapgar@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-387-5298. Follow @blakeapgar connected Twitter.