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CHAIRMAN KELCH* Thank you, Mr. Strong, I think that perhaps before we go into the question and answer period o f our meeting, i t might be well to c a ll upon Mr. Tom Smith, our State Engineer, fo r any statement of the ov er-a ll water situation he wishes to make at th is time. MR. SMITH* Chairman Max* Members and guests o f Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce ~ I didn’ t oome down here prepared to make a speech but I ’ l l answer your questions, or try to as fa r as possible. Underground water problems and development that are handled through the o ffib e of the State Engineer have fo r some years been in the hands of my assistant, Mr. Hugh Shamberger, and his remarks w ill be more to the point as he has had control of the situation in my o ffic e since we began the study of the underground water here, I might say that we almost started from scratch because there had only been a prelim­inary Federal study of the area at the time we came in here although 300 to 350 wells had already been d r ille d , and a large amount of water had been drawn. Naturally, you are concerned with the extent of the under-ground supply. We are studying that so fa r as possible now. We now have an engineer of the U, S. Geological survey, Mr, George Maxey, who is stationed here. His expenses and salary are being paid on a cooperative arrangement between your City and County and the USGS, The heavy draft on your supply during the past two years, and particularly during the past year, in contrast with the preoipitation and w aterfall, has given us some ooncern. There has been a fa llin g o ff of the water supply, which has brought to our attention, more than ever before, the necessity o f conservation. It is n ’ t ju st a matter of conservation on the part of the Water Company. There’ s a great deal of water being used in this Valley fo r agricultural purposes and from individual w ells, and small companies and organizations — a good deal more water is being used by these users than the Water Company supplies to the City, Conservation is the necessity. In order to conserve this underground water practical economy must be practiced by everybody and by every water user. The question is how? One of the f i r s t steps is fo r the people to get behind the movement and modify the laws so that meters can be in stalled on every outlet o f water in thw whole basin. That would go fo r independent water supplies outside of the Water Company, and fo r measurement and control so far as i t is possible on a ll sources of water tapping the underground supply. Now, i f that is done - and i t can be done — i t is done in other places — i t w ill not increase the cost of water fo r everybody. It w ill mainly increase the p o s s ib ilitie s of the surrounding area. It might in ­crease — this is nothing but a rough estimate — the to ta l water supply available by about one-third; but that isn ’ t enough i f the City grows as you plan. We are going to invite electro-chem ical and other manufacturing and in­dustries in here, and i f we are going t o encourage people to want to establish winter homes, and find places to liv e , i t requires water fo r their maintenance. We want to invite them in here to build up the community, and we w ill have to assure them of a water supply that is permanent. I t is d iffic u lt to convince those people that an artesian supply, no matter how good we think i t w ill be is s u ffic ie n t. It is doubtful that we could convince those people o f its continuous supply, and that’ s the reason I have always said, and I say now, that we must have in this town - in this d is tr ic t - i f i t is possible to obtain i t - water from Boulder Dam, from Mead Lake, as a standby. Now, that standby water th a t's brought in here w ill not be cheap water; i t w ill cost considerably more than the water that is at present supplied by the Las Vegas Water Company. It w ill not be as good water, even after p u rification , as your artesian water. But i f its piped in here, and is available as a standby, to supplement the existin g supply, you w ill be able to say to prospective investors and people who are here now, that Las V©gas is supplied with permanent (O