[BBMW]

So cut off the agro users. Let the vegetables be grown where there's water to grow them.

Originally Posted by ScoopLV

"But the extra water will only slow the reservoir’s descent, not reverse it. The reason is simple: The amount of water flowing into Lake Mead is less than the amount flowing out each year to supply farms and cities in Nevada, Arizona, California and Mexico."


This is a textbook example of the boiling frog syndrome. We've become numb to bad news about our water supply. I hope to be out of here before it starts effecting property values.

[bayview6]

The upstate pipeline is dead in the water.

When Lake Mead drops to a certain level, Nevada's allocation of 300,000 acre ft a year will be reduced by 30,000 acre ft, or enough water to support 102,000 homes.

No goverment entity has to stop issuing building permits. The SNWA can simply stop issuing water meters. No government taking involved.

[ScoopLV]

And it is likely that when this happens, Harry Reid won't be our Senate Majority Leader. So we'll have a bunch of junior legislators with zero clout. California will get everything they want, and Nevada will get shafted.

I hope to be long gone by then.

[bayview6]

Originally Posted by ScoopLV

I hope to be long gone by then.

What are the top 5 candidates for your next location?

[Retired at 44]

Originally Posted by lvoc

With the arrival of the third straw in 2015 Las Vegas will be able to supply water at any level including those below the level at which the dam stops functioning. ...

Could you explain what you mean when talk about a water level below which the dam stops functioning?

[Retired at 44]

Originally Posted by ScoopLV

[i]"But the extra water will only slow the reservoir’s descent, not reverse it. The reason is simple: The amount of water flowing into Lake Mead is less than the amount flowing out each year to supply farms and cities in Nevada, Arizona, California and Mexico."

The same visual should be used to describe Social Security trust fund and various defined benefit pensions.

[lvoc]

Originally Posted by bayview6

The upstate pipeline is dead in the water.

When Lake Mead drops to a certain level, Nevada's allocation of 300,000 acre ft a year will be reduced by 30,000 acre ft, or enough water to support 102,000 homes.

No goverment entity has to stop issuing building permits. The SNWA can simply stop issuing water meters. No government taking involved.

SNWA is a governmental agency. If it stops issuing permits it gets sued. Note also that if no water purveyor is available in Nevada you have a right to drill your own well.

Note that there are all sorts of ways to deal with return water credits. I also suspect there is more than sufficient aquifer water to cover 30,000 AF for a few years at least.

[lvoc]

Originally Posted by Retired at 44

Could you explain what you mean when talk about a water level below which the dam stops functioning?

There is a level at which there is insufficient pressure to drive the turbine to make electricity. Then there is a further level at whcih the intakes can no longer get sufficient pressure to flow the required volumes past the dam. That final level is referred to as "dead pool". There is no motion out of the dam basin anymore.

[Danknee]

Help me understand the data behind the panic:
It looks to me like we are nearly at the same water elevation level we were at in 2010 (1080 versus 1088, 88 lower than the average).

Is it worse for some reason this year versus 2010? Are there factors this year/next year that make a mini-recovery, or at least maintaining the current level less likely than what happened in 2011?

*edit
I guess it is the 54% of average inflows and record low total capacity at 38%?

[lvoc]

Originally Posted by Danknee

Help me understand the data behind the panic:
It looks to me like we are nearly at the same water elevation level we were at in 2010 (1080 versus 1088, 88 lower than the average).

Is it worse for some reason this year versus 2010? Are there factors this year/next year that make a mini-recovery, or at least maintaining the current level less likely than what happened in 2011?

*edit
I guess it is the 54% of average inflows and record low total capacity at 38%?

You have to look at both dams and lakes as an entity. One can and does shift water between them without regard to the actual inflow. I believe this was a reasonable good though not exceptional season and the flow into the pair is above the long term average. The question then is what you hold in Powell versun what is transferrred to Mead. I expect there is good art on how to do tht dealing with surface area to the amount stored if nothing else.

Note Lake Mead loses something like a million acre feet to evaporation. If you could stop that you would solve a good part of the problem. Maybe a billion ping pong balls?