upr000229 52

LAS VEGAS REVIEW—J0UR1IAL Published _________ _ _ Water Proposals Get Parley Ears The future of the water supply in the Las Vegas valley was the topic of discussion this afternoon at El Rancho Vegas as state, county and city officials gathered with representatives from the Union Pacific railroad and the Las Vegas Land and Water oom-pany. The meeting, originally call-eo to discuss the Las Vegas Land and Water company’s protest. against drilling of ar­tesian wells in the valley is ex­pected to develop into a round table discussion of the prob­lems facing this section as re­gards the future water supply. Frank Strong, Union Pacific official, was one of the early speakers at the pieeting follow­ing luncheon. Strong declared that “the future growth of this community is of mutual interest to all of us, and these problems must be worked out together.” f Strong said that the protest filed by the Land and Water company against drilling certain wells waS not made with any selfish motive nor with the idea of prohibiting forever the drilling of additional wells in the valley. He reported that there is a seri­ous problem confronting the area and that the matter should be submitted to the judgment of the state authorities and the public; through the medium of a public hearing. This meeting already has been called for an early date, and the Union Pacific intends to submit data gathered by com-pany engineers regarding the wa­ter problem in this area, Strong said. ?; Strong b l a s t e d the theory that the underground water supply is inexhaustible; that it flows from Lake Tahoe or Walker Lake,'or both, and can , be exhausted only when those lakes dry up. He said there is no geological foundation for this theory. He quoted from a report from R. G. Greene, former geologist of the Union Pacific railroad, in which Greene stated that, while there is no immediate cause for alarm, but that the water supply has its limitations and conserva­tion is necessary. The record from which Strong quoted showed a decline in pro-. duction in nine of the 10 Union [ Pacific wells of 8.2 per cent from j 1942 to 1944, indicating an an-! nual decline of 4.1 per cent. He pointed out that, with the regular decline of the water table the time when pumping operations will be necessary is approaching and that as the water table is lowered more and more expensive equipment will be needed. He concluded that steps should be taken immediately to draw up and enforce ordinances to stop the waste of water in the valley. The meeting barely got under way by press time this afternoon and it was expected that it would last most of the afternoon and probably into tomorrow.