upr000288 37

— / Sli ± M ^€6- -' % Los Angeles - August 22, 1950 Mr. E. E. Bennett: (cc - Mr. T* W. Bockes - Omaha Mr. W. H. Hulsizer- H ) With reference to memorandum of August 16, file 80, you attached copy of a letter signed hy Mr. Howard W. Gannon, City Attorney of Las Vegas, addressed to Public Service Commission, State of Nevada, demanding that that "body "Require the Las Vegas Land and Water Company to proceed immediately to augment the present water supply to the City of Las Vegas". I note you are suggesting that an engineer he employed to appear before a meeting to he called hy Mr, Allard, President of the Public Service Commission at some time after September 15» l think this would he desirable. However, I think you should first determine if Mr. Shamberger of the State Engineer's office is going to appear, as X think it highly desirable that any engineer appearing for us should so build up M s testimony that Mr. Shamberger could be called upon to varify our engineer's statements, w M c h could easily be done as State Engineer's office have made several reports all of * M c h indicate the the available underground water supply has been drawn on so heavily for several years that the plane of water table is getting lower each year. In other words, the rate of withdrawal is greater than the rate of replenishment from natural sources. I tMn k it should also be higi-lighted that one of the principle reasons for t M s excessive draft has been the wholly unnecessary wasteage of water in Las Vegas and that the only possible way of eliminating t M s wasteage is the installation of meters. Some time ago we discussed the matter of the extent of the / responsibility of Public Service Corporations in the State of Nevada for supplying the particular commodity for which they are Hcensed. It is my recollection that a study of this matter was made at that time but it has been so long ago that I do not remember whether the letter was gone into thorougMy or only casually. You or whoever is our legal| representative at the above mentioned meeting should be prepared to ] give us fMl_.lnforaa.tlon on t M s point, and also to present t M s da STthe hearing if necessary. Win. Reinhardt