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2 Las Vegas Review-Journal Wednesday, Nov. 4), 1949 Report1 Says Lake Pipefine is Only Vegas Water Solution Immediate construction of a pipe-line connecting the Las Vegas water system with the 40-inch line now bringing Lake Mead water into the valley at Henderson is an absolute must if continuing water shortages are to be avoided in peak months of use. Construction o f a complete new line all the way from Lake Mead, virtually duplicating the present facilities now serving Henderson and Basic plant must be completed by 1958 if future expeeted growth of this area is to be adequately provided for. ; Cost for the immediate pro­ject, recommended for 1950, would be $2,509,000 with the ul­timate recommended improve­ment totalling $7,411,000 w h e n completed in 1958. The project would be financed through issuance of revenue bonds reinforced by a small tax levy. The bonds would be retired through income from the water system. Bates for service would probably have to be increased as much as 50 percent over the present schedules to take care of the financing. This is the essence of the anx-. iously-awaited report submitted yesterday by Greeley & Hansen, Chicago engineering firm, to the board of directors of the Las Vegas Valley Water district, which in 94 pages, provides the complete background of the local situation together with an analy­sis* of three different plans for getting sufficient Lake M e a d water into the valley to serve and estimated population of 82*- 100 in 1970 and 105,200 in the year 2,000. The favored plan calls for im? mediate tapping of the Basic line at Henderson to take advantage of the surplus available which would augment t h e present supply sufficiently for all growth within the next few years. This would be done by build­ing a 42 inch pipe-line from Las Vegas to a point approximately a mile west of Pittman, and a 40-inch line from there to Basic plant.. The new 40-inch line to be built from Lake Mead in 1958 would connect with this Pittman junction to complete the system, with Las Vegas and the rest of the valley being served eventual­ly from both pipe-lines. y W T H ' J NOV 11 1940 H . T . W . NOV 22 1949 W M . R. NOV 14 1949 The line to be built next year would follow- .the highway from Pittman ,to„a.point Where Oakey BoulevarS" w ii eventually inter­sect, then along Oakey to Sixth street in Las Vegas where stor­age facilities would be erected from which Lake Mead water would be fed into the present system. These facilities would consist of a 500,000 gallon elevated tank to provide necessary pressure for that higher area and a 3,- 200.000 gallon ground reservoir for added volume. From this point an additional 30 inch main would serve the | area from Oakey and Sixth I streets to Ninth and Stewart, f with another 12 inch main built ( along Main street to North Las Vegas. A 500,000 gallon elevated stor­age tank is recommended for North Las Vegas and another 100.000 elevated tank at some other point of high water usage within the city of Las Vegas. Cost of the 1950-constructed line from Basic plant to Las Vgeas is estimated at $1,653,000; storage facilities and expansion Gross receipts of the Las Ve­gas Land & Water company for 1948 are set forth as $188,750, which means additional revenue of $127,350 would have to be ob­tained to finance the first eight years of the program. Some of this would come from the resort hotels now producing their own water, but the bulk would have to be raised through in­creased rates to users or a tax levy in the district or both. In 1958 and subsequent, years when power for pumping, and cost of water from the lake must be figured in, the annual costs would go to $452,100 for ‘58, $689,500 for 1960, $800,300 in 1970 land $892,900 in 1980. Estimating water usage, in­dustrial, domestic, and agricul­tural each year, the per million gallon cost to the district would be: 1950, $81.80; 1958, $77.10; 1960, $111.00; 1970, $91.10; 1980, $81.50. Artesian water produced and distributed in Las Vegas by the Las Vegas Land & Water company costs $53.30 per million gallons. In presenting the report, the of the distribution system in Las engineers said: “ The p r e s e n t Vegas, $856,000; intake for se- water works are insufficient and cdnd line from Lake Mead to | uncoordinated and there s no be built in 1958, $709,000; 40-inch f comprehensive water works plan line and booster stations lifor Providing pipe facilities to meet. from Lake Mead to Pittman junction, $4,193,000. Purchase of the Las Vegas Land & Water company, Union Pacific and other water produc­ing and distributing agencies is recommended in the report with an arbitrary figure of $2,000,000 set up for this purpose. The re­port specifically states this is an estimate which may or may not be accurate, but that it was the best figure available. For the period 1950 to 1958, the expected large need for wa­ter.” In setting up the standards for a proper supply, it was rec­ommended that the quantity of water available should be ample for maximum or peak rates of water consumption; that the wa­ter be safe to drink, palatable, and suitable as to mineral con­tent for domestic and industrial use; that the water works must provide adequate storage, inter­connecting, stand-by equipment and other facilities to insure a The peak possible supply from Las Vegas existing water system is placed at 16.7 million gallons per day; North Las Ve­gas 1.57 million gallons per day; air force base 1,3-million gallons per day pliiS an allocation of 4 million gallons per day from Basic., . lA Present' a v e r a g e ’ overall consumption in the artesian belt for all purposes is placed at 30.78 million gallons per day; Las Vegas urban area (including hotels, North Las Vegas, and adjacent sectors) 20 million gal­lons per day. Sales of the Las Vegas Land & Water company average 9.32 million gallons per day. Nevada’s 300,000 acre feet of water from Lake Mead figures 268 million gallons per day which the engineers feel will be neces­sary to serve the needs of Las Vegas valley by the year 2000'. Harry Miller, chairman of the board of directors of the watel district, said this morning he was very pleased with the repori and that it would be taken up at the next meeting of the board to determine what action should be taken. ----------- o----------- the annual payment on acquisi- , . , . 1 tion of present facilities is fu- « W * , of water undeT a11 Pre’ gured at $102,000; new supply dl^ ,bl,e conditions, and distribution facilities, $128,- Water works supplying any 500; maintenance, $31,800; oper-| community, cannot be static,” ation and administration $53,800, rep°F^ declared. They must or a total of $316,100 per year.)Srow with the area and popula- I tion served. There must be pro-i gressive construction under a comprehensive, general plan if we adhere to the standards of a first class water works.”