Of Water Woes and Bathtub Rings—And Why Las Vegas is (Kind Of) Alright

Last summer, the federal government declared the first-ever shortage in the Colorado River Basin, where Las Vegas gets about 90% of its water. The trend continues this year as Lake Mead and Lake Powell sit at their lowest levels—just looking at those bathtub rings is enough to give any desert-dweller anxiety. Today, lead producer Sonja Cho Swanson sits down with Nevada Independent environment reporter Daniel Rothberg, who explains how it all comes down to “a math problem gone wrong”—less water in and more water out.

So why does Las Vegas get the blame when we’re actually doing a pretty good job as a city at water conservation? How are we still reliant on major water guzzlers like agriculture in California and Arizona (thanks for all the lettuce)? And why does Daniel still have hope when asked if an apocalyptic Mad Max future awaits us?

Want more Vegas news? Make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter! 

We’re also on Twitter! Follow us at @CityCastVegas 

You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719.