Assessing protection for imperiled species of Nevada, U.S.A.: are species slipping through the cracks of existing protections?
This study by the Center for Biological Diversity scientists Noah Greenwald and Curt Bradley, published June 2008 in the international journal "Biodiversity and Conservation", found that a majority of Nevada’s 384 imperiled species are not protected by reserves or laws such as the Endangered Species Act. The study maps all of Nevada’s protected reserves, which included wilderness areas, national parks, national wildlife refuges, Nature Conservancy preserves and other similarly protected areas, and cover 14 percent of the state. Overall , the study found that 212 (55 percent) of the 384 species had fewer than 25 percent of occurrences in reserves and of these, only 9 percent are currently receiving alternate protection under the Endangered Species Act or voluntary conservation plans. This study shows that Nevada needs more protected reserves.
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Gambling on the Water table
Las Vegas long ago tapped out the limited groundwater available in southern Nevada. Although the city has made significant progress in its efforts to conserve water, its explosive growth continues, leading to a search for more water hundreds of miles away in the most remote and undeveloped areas of the state. Under the "Clark, Lincoln, and White Pine Counties Groundwater Development Project", the Southern Nevada Water Authority proposes to extract hundreds of thousands of acre-feet of groundwater from eastern Nevada and convey it to the greater Las Vegas area through a massive pipeline. This report describes this plan, the natural and hum an communities it threatens and some alternatives the city should implement before attempting to take any more water from this fragile desert.
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Hidden Oasis: Water Conservation and Efficiency in Las Vegas EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
An complete overview of the recommendations from the "Hidden Oasis: Water Conservation and Efficiency in Las Vegas" report in summary form. Easy to read and just a few pages. The full report is also available from the list under the title "Hidden Oasis: Water Conservation and Efficiency in Las Vegas".
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Water in the Urban Southwest: An Updated Analysis of Water Use in Albuquerque, Las Vegas Valley, and Tucson
The southwestern United States, with its plentiful sunshine and mild climate, has seen unprecedented growth over the past few decades, and population projections show continued expansion well into the middle of the century. ... [W]e examine water use in ... Albuquerque, the Las Vegas Valley, and Tucson. Despite the similarities among these communities, the way that water is both used and managed is quite different. All three communities have demand-side management programs that are successfully reducing per-capita water use within their service areas; however, they take a very different approach. While is is important to recognize that all systems are unique, all three also have room for improvement. [Western Resource Advocates, 2006]
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EPA- Strategy: Response to Climate Change (draft)
It is no shock to those of us who live in the west that water supplies are dwindling due to climate change. While the EPA has been ignoring the problem of climate change since 2000, it now has published a draft strategy for "living" with climate change. The report is not hard hitting and still understates what scientists have generally agreed to for years about the cause. It does identify problems and some potential responses (mostly in regard to pollution). The report characterizes the problem in the Southwest U.S. simply: • annual precipitation has decreased; and • “[h]eavily utili[z]ed groundwater-based systems in the southwest U.S. are likely to experience additional stress from climate change that leads to decreased recharge …” Of course, this also means less surface water too; but EPA doesn't mention it. A report disclaimer tells the reader that nothing in the report means that action is being called for.
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SNWA-Federal Stipulation: Trouble Ahead
This presentation outlines the stipulated agreement between the Southern Nevada Water Authority and the Federal Agencies as presented by Kay Brothers, Head of Resources for the SNWA at the State Engineer Hearing for Cave, Delamar, and Dry Lake Valleys on February 4, 2008. It appears to offer little recourse for damages from over-pumping other than the likelihood of expensive court proceedings and a promise of "augmentation" water. The question is, from where will that water come?
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USGS Examines Importance of Water Budgets
A new USGS Circular illustrates the importance of water budgets as an essential tool in addressing concerns about water availability in the 21st Century.
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The Importance of Ground Water to Rivers in the West
Many ask, "Why should people who care about healthy rivers also care about ground water management?" Our answer: ground and surface water are connected to each other and as a result, pumping ground water can adversely affect river flows. In too much of the West, new water users start using ground water because river flows are insufficient. Ground water is seen as a new source to solve their water needs, but ground and surface waters are not separate and will rise and fall together. Ultimately, rivers bear the burden.
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Hidden Oasis: Water Conservation and Efficiency in Las Vegas
Two of the West's preeminent water organizations report Las Vegas Valley is sitting on an oasis of water and money savings. In their new report, the Pacific Institute and Western Resource Advocates find up to 40% of water could be saved in some sectors through improvements to indoor and outdoor water efficiency. They also found that through improving indoor water efficiency in particular, Las Vegas residents and businesses can cut water-related energy use and greenhouse gases. (For the Executive Summary click on the title "Hidden Oasis: Water Conservation and Efficiency in Las Vegas EXECUTIVE SUMMARY".
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Where Does It Start? Where Will It End?
The Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada's (PLAN) report on the Las Vegas and the Groundwater Development Project, 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 send it over 250 miles to Las Vegas.
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