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Newspaper clipping, Water report startles, Las Vegas Review-Journal, June 14, 1945

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Date

1945-06-14

Description

Newspaper article about a recently completed report. Author opined that unless something drastic was done soon, water would be the limiting factor on growth in Las Vegas.

Digital ID

hln000746

Physical Identifier

Box 12 Folder W23-1-B Water Conservation Campaign 1942-1944
    Details

    Citation

    hln000746. Union Pacific Railroad Collection, 1828-1995. MS-00397. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada. http://n2t.net/ark:/62930/d1vq2w969

    Rights

    This material is made available to facilitate private study, scholarship, or research. It may be protected by copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity rights, or other interests not owned by UNLV. Users are responsible for determining whether permissions are necessary from rights owners for any intended use and for obtaining all required permissions. Acknowledgement of the UNLV University Libraries is requested. For more information, please see the UNLV Special Collections policies on reproduction and use (https://www.library.unlv.edu/speccol/research_and_services/reproductions) or contact us at?special.collections@unlv.edu.

    Standardized Rights Statement

    Digital Provenance

    Digitized materials: physical originals can be viewed in Special Collections and Archives reading room

    Digital Processing Note

    Manual transcription

    Language

    English

    Format

    application/pdf

    LAS VEGAS EVENING REVIEW JOURNAL June 14, 1945 Water Report Startles The water survey report turned in by George B. Maxey and C. H. Jameson on the Las Vegas basin is as startling as it is complete. It indicates that, unless something drastic is done in the next few years, Las Vegas' growth will be completely stymied by a lack of water for domestic purposes. There was a great furore raised here shortly before the Basic plant closed, the chamber of com-merce taking cognizance of the fact that water shortages might develop here. However, after the initial flurry, the initiative died down and, until today, we were in the same situation we have been the past quarter of a century. The Maxey report does not indicate any im-mediate shortage of water for this area, so there is no need for panic. However, it does show, very clearly, that unless something is done in the imme-diate future to assure an adequate water supply, then the growth of the city of Las Vegas definitely is limited. Maxey, in his report, reveals that, in the last year the water level of the wells in the valley dropped five feet while in the previous 17 years the average drop was 1.7 foot. That indicates that the increased population here has used up almost three times as much water per year from January 1, 1943, to December 1944, as was used in the previous per-iod of growth since Boulder dam. Maxey's suggestion as an immediate solution to the problem is that an all-out effort should be made to control further drilling in the area and to more fully utilize the present supply until a more accurate determination of the ground water condi-tions in the basin has been completed. This is logical, but it will not answer the over-all problem. If we are to have the anticipated growth after the war, then we must have water, first, to insure proper protection for that growth. Water, here on the desert, is the prime requisite for living. Without water Las Vegas would not be able to exist, that is self evident. We have two paths to choose. We can sit idly by and watch our water table fall to a point where a sufficient supply will not be obtainable and then all pack up and leave, or we can follow the example of the city of Los Angeles and get water from a supply which is much closer than that to which Los Angeles went for its use. The time is now. Every day we delay is one day less we can figure for our future. We must have action and it must be concerted.