Top Water Users Are Named And Fined By Las Vegas Valley Water District

By this time, we are all familiar with the water situation here in the Las Vegas desert. Government agencies and water utilities are doing their best to encourage all of us to use water wisely. Last fall, the board of directors for Las Vegas Valley Water District (LVVWD) approved new “excessive use fees.”

As I have noted, these excessive use fees are designed to encourage us to use water wisely and to fix leaks. The vast majority of us will not be receiving these fines. However, nearly 60,000 Las Vegas valley residents are paying fines totaling close to $13 million dollars. Surprisingly, that’s just in the first six months of this program.

According to an article by Kelsey McFarland on KTNV.com, the Las Vegas Valley Water District sent out nearly 140,000 excessive use fees notices between January and June of this year. Per this article, LVVWD claims most of the fines are for homes or businesses with “unresolved leaks, large amounts of grass, turf that is inefficiently watered, or are customers who are not following the watering schedule.”

I don’t know about you, but I was anxious to see if my name was on the list. Phew! It wasn’t. I didn’t think it would be, but you never know. For that matter, go ahead and take a look at the most recent list (2021) of top water users by clicking here. Pretty much what you’d expect, right? For example, you see most of the high-end Las Vegas Strip resorts. Of course, you also see a lot of golf courses. Additionally, you see the names of celebrities and the super-rich.

At the present time, my big question is: where does that $12.8 million dollars in excessive use fees go? I Googled that question, and the answer I got was that it goes towards more water conservation programs. Hmmm. OK. Correspondingly, I would like to know if these fines are working. Are they helping our community conserve water? I guess we’ll have to wait and see. We’re only six months into this program.

At a recent County Commission hearing, one local resident complained that even though she’s curtailed her home’s water use, her monthly bill exceeded $800 dollars. She claims most of that money was in excessive use fees. Should the fines exceed the amount of money one pays for the actual water? I don’t think so, but I’m not in charge.

Be that as it may, the Southern Nevada Water Authority sets the monthly threshold of water for each resident and business. You get fined $9 dollars for every 1,000 gallons you use over that threshold. So far, 90% of our valley’s residents do not receive excessive use fees. Let’s hope we can reduce that number even more.

Unless you have been living under a rock, you must be aware of the drought conditions throughout the Southwestern United States. With that in mind, we are always looking for ways to conserve water. Did you know there are some very easy ways to save water, and save money on your water bill each month?

The Southern Nevada Water Authority does an excellent job of letting us know how often to water lawns, plants and trees. But, if you do not own a home surrounded by grass, plants and trees, you are most likely still concerned about the drought and your monthly charges for water use.

I did not know there was an agency in our state called the Nevada Special Utility District. But, after Googling ways to conserve water, their website popped up, so I clicked on the link. It took me to a page filled with great advice on how to conserve water in your kitchen, laundry room, bathroom, and with your plumbing and appliances. They have a rather large section regarding outdoor water use as well. You can see all of this helpful information by CLICKING HERE.

For the purposes of this article, we are just going to concern ourselves with finding easy and inexpensive ways to save water every day and every month in our bathrooms. These rooms are all about water. That's where you find your shower, bathtub and toilet. All of these fixtures use a great deal of water throughout the year, and making sure every one of them is functioning at maximum efficiency will not only conserve water, it will save you big bucks on your next water bill.

Scroll down to see these six easy ways to conserve water in your home's bathrooms.

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Larry Martino is the long-time Afternoon Drive personality on 96.3 KKLZ. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of Larry Martino and not necessarily those of Beasley Media Group, LLC.

In fact, you should check under all of your sinks for leaks as well. Leaks can waste a great deal of water. As far as your toilet goes, look inside the bowl too. If you see a trickle of water running down the back of the bowl, you may need to replace the flapper because water is leaking from the tank and into the bowl. It won't ruin your flooring, but it does mean the tank has to keep filling itself for no reason even when it isn't being used.

Your bodily waste and toilet paper are the only items you should be flushing down the toilet. I think this piece of advice is geared more to the fact that if you throw a Kleenex or cigarette butt into the toilet and then flush, it is a waste of water because both of those items could have been disposed of properly in a waste basket without having to flush your toilet. Flush a piece or two of trash down your toilet a couple of times in a day or week, and watch your water bill increase when it didn't have to.

This suggestion helps save water by reducing the amount of water necessary to fill up the toilet tank, a pint at a time. The water saved will add up in the long run. Don't worry, you'll still have enough water in your tank for a sanitary flush.

If this one action becomes a habit for you and your family, you can save up to 150 gallons of water each month according to the Nevada Special Utility District. If you turn off the water while brushing your teeth, you can save up to another 25 gallons of water per month. Save even more by turning off the faucet while washing your hands. Just run the water to soap up your hands, and then to rinse them off after scrubbing.

These low-flow shower heads are designed to increase the water pressure, but they use far less water. It is a rather inexpensive way to save lots of money on your water bill and conserve a great deal of water each month.

Reducing your shower time by just one or two minutes each time and you can save up to 150 gallons of water per month according to the Nevada Special Utility District. If you do not have a shower in your home, or if you prefer baths, then lower the water level my one or two inches each time in order to conserve water.

Larry Martino is the long-time afternoon drive personality on 96.3 KKLZ. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of Larry Martino and not necessarily those of Beasley Media Group, LLC.

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