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L.V.Reriew March 13,1930 WATER SUPPLY - Las Vegas, Rev. F R O M W H E R E I S IT By.A/E. CAHLAN — ---------------- ——— — — — ___________________________i R e n o is q u ite e x e rc ise d o v er th e im p en d in g a p p lic a tio n o f th e S ie r r a P a c if ic P o w e r : c o m p a n y t h a t it c o n te m p la te s a s k in g th e N e v a d a p u b lic -s e rv ic e co m m issio n f o r p e r ­m issio n to in s ta ll a w a te r m e te r ­in g s y s te m in th e co m m u n ity , and w e ll it m ig h t be. F o r R e n o , lik e L a s V e g a s , h a s n e v e r p aid f o r its w a te r b y th e g a llo n , b u t h o u se ­h o ld e rs h a v e b e e n on a f l a t r a te , ju s t a s is th e c a se h e re , R e n o is n o ted th ru o u t th e cou n ­tr y , f o r b e in g one o f th e m o st b e a u ­tif u l c itie s in th e lan d . I t is m ad e so. b y a t t r a c t iv e la w n s, w h ich c o v e r the: e n tir e to w n s ite . T h e s e la w n s h a v e b een m ad e p o ssib le th r u th e a v a ila b ility o f a p le n tifu l w a te r su p p ly , and., th e R e n o c it i ­z en s f e a r t h a t w ith -the m e te rin g s y s ^ m in v o g u e, th e y w ill soon d e-te r p r a te and beco m e a th in g o f th e p a s t, and r ig h tfu lly so. F o r no m a tte r how m u ch w a te r m a y b e a l­low ed b e fo re th e m in im u m c h a rg e is ap p lied , a v e ry l a r g e p e rc e n ta g e o f th e c o n su m e rs w ill en d e a v o r to k e e p w ith in th e m in im u m b y “ e co ­n o m iz in g ” w ith w a te r ju s t a s th e y now eco n o m ize in lig h tin g . T h is h a s o ccu rre d in e v e ry c ity w h ere m e te rin g h a s b e e n in tro d u ced . T e s t m e te rs by the. h u n d red s a re a lre a d y b e in g in sta lle d in R e n o and S p a rk s , and i t is q u ite a p p a re n t t h a t th e co m p a n y m e a n s w h a t it s a y s in t h is re g a rd . T h e o n ly a rg u m e n t a n y w a te r co m p a n y c a n p re s e n t to ju s t i f y th e m e te r s y s te m o f w a te r d is trib u ­tio n , is t h a t w a te r is- s c a rc e , and w ith o u t m e te rs th e r e is a g r e a t w a s te . T h e o n ly w a y to b lo ck t h a t a rg u m e n t is to c u t dow n on th e w a s te fu l u se o f w a te r . T h e s itu a tio n in R e n o and L a s V e g a s is s tr ik in g ly s im ila r , L a s V e g a s is a v e rita b le o a sis on th e d e s e rt. I t is th e m a rv e l o f to u r ­is t s w ho -com e . su d d en ly in to , t h is C om m u nity a f t e r rid in g m ile s and m ile s t h r u w a s te la n d s , f o r h e re a r e th e sa m e b e a u tifu l la w n s, th e sa m e a r b o r s o f tr e e s a c r o s s , th e s t r e e ts ' o f th e re s id e n tia l d is tr ic t, th e sa m e flo w e rs and a ll t h a t h av e m ad e R en o a c ity o f b e a u ty . W ith ­o u t a p le n tifu l su p p ly , L a s . V e g a s w ould b e a s t h e c o u n try arou n d , and a s h u n d re d s ’ o f S im ila rly s itu ­a te d , c itie s; in - th e n a tio n - a r e , . ju s t a b u n ch o f h o u se s s e t o u t on th e d e s e rt. . F o r tu n a te ly , th e d e s tin ie s ..of th e lo ca l w a te r co m p a n y h a v e b een c o n tro lle d b y a m a n w ho r e a liz e s fu ll Well ju s t w h a t th e s itu a tio n is,i and w ho h a s o fte n e m p h a tic a lly d e­c la re d t h a t ‘w a te r m e te r s w ill n e v e r be in s ta lle d in L a s V e g a s a s lo n g a s I c a n p re v e n t i t .” F o r W a lte r B r a c k e n , th e m a n o f w hom w e sp e a k ; is one o f th e b u ild e rs o f th is l it t l e c ity o f o u rs, and h e is re s p o n s ib le in a g r e a te r m e a su re th a n m a n y a r e a w a re f o r th e p r e s ­en ce o f th e la w n s w e a d m ire , and th e tr e e s t h a t co m p le te th e ? p ic ­tu re . W ith o u t w a te r, t h e y ' w ould be im p o s sib le ; w ith th e u s e rs p a y in g f o r t h a t su p p ly b y th e g a llo n , it w ould b e im p ro b a b le e x c e p t in iso ­la te d c a s e s , add th e c ity w ould s u f f e r m a te r ia lly th e re b y . L a s V e ­g a s h a s m o re w a te r a t le s s c o s t r ig h t now th a n a n y c i t y in N ev ad a, and in a ll p ro b a b ility th a n th e m a ­jo r i t y o f c itie s in th e U n ite d S t a t e s . A nd t h a t sa m e M r. B r a c k ­en h a s m ad e it one o f h is m a in ob­je c tiv e s to s e e to it t h a t th is c o n ­d itio n m a in ta in s . B u t L a s V e g a s , lik e R e n o , is p ro n e to w a s te its d o m e stic w a te r. U n th in k in g h o u se h o ld ers h a v e no id e a o f c o n se rv a tio n o f th is r e ­s o u rc e ; th ey , do n o t in te n tio n a lly le t i t ru n to w a s te , b u t th e im ­p re s sio n is so g e n e r a l t h a t th e r e ’s p le n ty o f w a te r fr o m th e m a in su p ­p ly , t h a t no one th in k s o f b o th e r ­in g to tu r n th e h o se o f f a n y tim e i t ’s th e le a s t b it in co n v e n ie n t. T h e a m o u n t o f w a te r w a ste d in L a s V e g a s r e a c h e s a p ro d ig io u s a m o u n t e v e ry y e a r , a c c o rd in g to o ffic ia ls o f th e w a te r co m p a n y , and i t is th is w a s te t h a t b rin g s w a te r m e te rs , no o th e r m eth od e v e ry h a v ­in g b e e n d ev ised f o r c h e c k in g th e th o u g h tle s s n e s s o f th o s e in d iv id ­u a ls w ho le t th e ir w a te r ru n a ll n ig h t, e v e ry n ig h t, an d o th e r s im ­ila r w a s te s . L a s V e g a s should ta k e a le a f, fr o m R e n o ’s book, and b e g in th in k ­in g o f s to p p in g a n y u s e le s s w a s te o f its w a te r su p p ly . W e m a y be lo o k in g in to th e fu tu r e a co n sid ­e ra b le d is ta n c e , b u t L a s V e g a s a s i t j exp an d s,, w ill n o t a lw a y s h a v e su ch a n e x c e s s o f w a te r a s a t p r e s ­e n t, and i t w ill b e co m e in c re a sin g - lv n e c e s s a ry n o t to w a s te . W e should g e t in t h is h a b it r ig h t now , to a v o id a n y p o s s ib ility o f in s ta l­la tio n o f w a te r m e te rs , w h ich w ould t h r o t t l e th e b e a u tific a tio n o f th e co m m u n ity to a d eg re e w e do n o t in v ite .