Water noose Las Vegas Bashny.Net

Speaking about the unusual and most beautiful cities in America, the first thing that comes to mind - this is Las Vegas. The city is located in the middle of the desert, and thus continues to grow rapidly. Do you know how enormous its dependence on water?
A little more, and the game is over: the famous Las Vegas is located in the desert, still exhausted supplies of water and soon withered.

Las Vegas "grown" in the Mojave Desert. Desert - this is not the most suitable place to build the city, but in spite of this the city is expanding rapidly. During the peak period, every month in this city of 20,000 people moved. After 5 years, the city has grown from 200 thousand to 1, 5 million. Every year Las Vegas attracts over 300 million people.





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In 1930 officials of Nevada legalized gambling, giving it the second name of the city - "Sin City." Over the years, Las Vegas has become a place that offers an incredibly wide range of entertainment options and a variety of lifestyle - the best and worst of human ingenuity and creativity came together in this city.



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Despite this development, Las Vegas has one great weakness. Water remains a huge problem and a limiting factor for this city. Currently, water is satisfied the dependence of imported water from the Colorado river systems and local groundwater, but this source is rapidly being depleted.



These images of 1984 and 2007 indicate the increasing urbanization of Las Vegas and Lake Mead reduction on the border of Nevada and Arizona. The rapid growth of Las Vegas has led to increased demand for water, while the lack of rainfall has reduced the water level of Lake Mead, which is the source of 90 percent of the water of Southern Nevada.



Las Vegas has always been famous for its extravagance. Consumption of water in the city, based on each person is 219 gallons per day to 49 gallons in San Francisco. It is a monstrous amount, especially when you consider that there is practically no rain. For the year in Las Vegas, Rain is typed only 4 inches. And it is in the best case, this year four months of rain rate was only 0, 31 inches. The drought, which for several years spoils the US economy, in Las Vegas started earlier. Arid even by the standards of the desert weather was established here 14 years ago. "Everything comes to an end. And very soon. If they do not find a new source of water need to go bankrupt. And they continue to build, and it is very stupid, "- he said in an interview with The Telegraph employee of Scripps Institution of Oceanography Tim Barnett.



90% of all water Las Vegas Lake Mead provides. It is located on the Colorado River about 30 miles (48 km) southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, on the border of Nevada and Arizona. Formed during the construction of the Hoover Dam, it extends 110 miles (180 km) behind the dam. However, even the agency that is required to monitor the state of the reservoir, says that the situation should be treated no less seriously than the hurricane "Katrina" and the storm "Sandy."



Currently the water level in Lake Mead at 1087 feet (331 meters) above sea level. The water is transported out of it via aqueducts. The two main pipes that water is pumped from the reservoir, known as a "tube", located at 1050 and 1000 feet. In other words, there is only 37 feet of water (11 m 3), before the tube will begin to pump air. Experts estimate that by the end of the level in the reservoir will drop another 20 feet. That is, in the next year one of the "tubes", is likely to be absolutely useless.



At the state government has a plan: through underground rocks poking through a giant tunnel, which is to be held another tube capable of completely drained Lake Mead. The cost of this project is $ 817 million, and it should be completed by the end of 2015, that is, by the time when the supply of water in Las Vegas may be partially or completely cease. But even the developers of this project is not consider a third pipe long-term solution.



There is the idea of ​​laying the pipeline to the aquifer in Nevada, located 260 miles from Las Vegas. This system will provide the city of 27 million gallons of water per year, and its construction will cost $ 15, 5 billion. But the project was blocked after conservationists have proved to American justice, that pumping water from a subterranean reservoir threatens a huge number of plants and animals inhabiting areas to be drained and to be routed through the pipe. Perhaps, the authorities still agree to build, if they saw no other choice. But then it's over a natural disaster.



What else can you do? You can spend billions of dollars to build plants and desalination of sea water, which will be powered by solar panels. These objects will be placed in the Pacific Ocean. "In exchange," Las Vegas will take itself all the water from the Mexican side of the Colorado River.



Rob Mrowka, a scientist at the Center for the study of biodiversity in Las Vegas, commented the idea as follows: "Colorado - a dying river. As a result, Las Vegas and our whole civilization in the south-east will simply disappear, as once the Indians had disappeared. "



And here is one of the attractions of Vegas - Venetian canals.
Casino "Venice" in Las Vegas was opened on May 3, 1999. Construction of "Venice" cost for Las Vegas Sands to 1, 5 billion dollars (by the way, Las Vegas Sands elected "Venice" of its headquarters). 40-storey "Venezia", ​​along with the neighboring hotel «Palazzo» forms the largest hotel in the world, with more than 7000 rooms.
"Venice" fully justifies its name: there are canals, gondolas (imported from Venice present) with singing gondoliers, as well as copies of the Italian Venice attractions such as St. Mark's Square, the Campanile (bell tower), the Rialto Bridge. And Venice in miniature directly under the roof of the hotel, the channels are at the casino hall, and stylized clouds painted sky ceiling, so it seems that the gondolas float under the open sky.



More about ten years ago, the owners of houses and offices, whose land has free square meters, was considered particularly chic to plant as much as possible the space of emerald grass. Excellent cut, well-groomed lawn in front of the house was almost mandatory.
Grass in a Las Vegas requires constant watering (during the hot months - 3 times a day), and therefore the installation of irrigation systems. Such a lawn cost the homeowner a lot of money, but also disproportionately increases its credibility in the eyes of neighbors and acquaintances.



However, it lasted very long. The population of Las Vegas for the last 15-20 years has increased from 300 thousand. Up to almost 2 million. People. Free territory is occupied by new buildings. Unable to maintain a water supply such a large city, the authorities are beginning to take action.
The landscape around the projects of new homes may not include lawns. Enter special days in which residents are allowed to water the plants (except for the summer season, when you can be watered every day). And, in addition, water prices are rising almost constantly.



Last !!!

Although Las Vegas is in the desert, the city operates a lot of fountains, created artificial lakes and waterfalls. How do we get enough water to these facilities? Water used for fountains - the so-called "gray" wastewater (water from the bath, washbasin and shower), which is filtered, cleaned and chlorinated. In contrast to the conventional wisdom, "black" waste water (water from the flush toilets) is not used, it descends into a separate sanitary sewer system of the city.