Two reports set for release

The reports below likely will shed light on the overall context of the Las Vegas water exportation proposal.

The Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada (PLAN) report, "Where does it start? Where will it end? Las Vegas and the Groundwater Development Project," will focus on the SNWA pipeline proposal -- including comparisons between Las Vegas water consumption and the need for greater conservation.

The Western Resource Advocates report, "Water in the Urban Southwest: An Updated Water Use Analysis of Albuquerque, Las Vegas Valley and Tucson" compares water use and water management and conservation (including recommendations).

While these reports may not relate directly to Utahns, they help put this proposal in context of water in the West. Conservation should be our motto in this struggle. A recent op ed in the Salt Lake Tribune implied that Utah cannot allow Snake Valley water to go to Las Vegas because a pipeline from Snake Valley to the Wasatch Front might be a future option. It is vital to understand (1) Snake Valley has no surplus water regardless of which direction people would like to point a pipeline and (2) water conservation is the cheapest, most environmentally sound option throughout the West.



original press release

October 17, 2006 October 17, 2006
Press Advisory

Contacts:
Bob Fulkerson - Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada
775-348-7557 (office)
775-843-2218 (cell)

Taryn Hutchins-Cabibi - Western Resource Advocates
303-444-1188 x247 (office)
303-859-2958 (cell)

TWO REPORTS SET FOR RELEASE ON WATER AND SOUTHWESTERN CITIES
Providing water for growing Southwestern urban populations is fast becoming one of the central dilemmas facing city officials. Western Resource Advocates and the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada are each releasing a report looking at this issue from different perspectives.

WHEN: Tuesday, October 24th, 2006
11 am to 12 noon


WHERE: Marjorie Barrick Museum of Natural History, UNLV Campus (Reserved parking for event is just west of Lied Library. Enter west side of campus on Harmon off of Paradise.) Address: 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, NV


WHAT: The Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada (PLAN) is releasing Where does it start? Where will it end? Las Vegas and the Groundwater Development Project, which provides an overview of the potential plans, costs and impacts of the Southern Nevada Water Authority's proposal to extract groundwater from rural Nevada and Utah and pipe it to Las Vegas. The report also highlights the conservation approaches in Albuquerque and Tucson and how the experiences in these cities can be an inspiration for Las Vegans. "We found that based on the conservation gains in Tucson and Albuquerque there's a lot more that Las Vegans could do to reduce their water use so that the pipeline project may be unnecessary. The pipeline system is going to be extremely expensive--there are no accurate figures but it's in the billions of dollars--while conservation is comparatively inexpensive," says PLAN report author Christina Roessler.


Western Resource Advocates is releasing their report, Water in the Urban Southwest: An Updated Water Use Analysis of Albuquerque, Las Vegas Valley and Tucson. The report provides a current snapshot of water use in the three cities and examines their varied approaches to conservation and water management programs. The report also provides recommendations on how the cities can further improve their conservation programs. "All three communities have programs in place that are reducing per-capita use, yet all three communities also have room for improvement" stated Taryn Hutchins-Cabibi, a Water Policy Analyst with Western Resource Advocates and the report's primary author.


WHO: Report authors Taryn Hutchins-Cabibi and Christina Roessler will be joined by

• Dean Baker, Nevada rancher,
  
• Al Nichols, water engineer and consultant on water conservation for Tucson, AZ, and
  
• Greg James, legal counsel and former Water Department Director for Owens Valley, CA.

Reports will be posted October, 24th on the web at

• PLAN
• The Western Resource Advocates
• Great Basin Water Network

And check here for links and commentary.