Ever Wondered: Where Does All That Las Vegas Storm Water Go?

Have you ever driven past one of those backed up storm drains, watched that water rushing into it, and wondered: "Where does all that storm water go?"

As has been noted, heavy rains in some parts of the Las Vegas valley this week has caused flooded intersections and backed up storm drains. Generally, this seems to happen just about every time we get a downpour. This is especially true during the summer monsoon months.

So, I checked into it and found myself on the Las Vegas Valley Water District website. As a matter of fact, the runoff water from rainfall flows through the Las Vegas Wash. Subsequently, from there it ends up in Las Vegas Bay at Lake Mead.

It is important to remember that all of this flowing water can reach speeds of 30 miles per hour. Just six inches of rushing water can know  you off of your fee. Therefore, kids should not be playing in detention basins, channels, washes, or storm drains. Moreover, adults should not be walking through or standing in these flood control areas either.

However, I would have thought that the reason Lake Mead is at historically low levels is because we do not get very much rain here in Southern Nevada. Accordingly, the LVVWD website states storm water and urban runoff only account for two percent of our city's water supply.

Furthermore, during the summer months, water demand is at its highest levels. At this time, ten percent of Las Vegas's water supply comes from ground water located under the surface of the earth.

Consequently, the other 90 percent of our water supply comes from the Colorado River. But for the most part, there are seven western states in the USA, plus Mexico, which share this river. The Colorado River serves over 25 million people! Besides Nevada, residents of California and Arizona are receive their water from the Lower Basin. The Upper Basin region serves folks in Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming.  You can learn more about this extremely important river at SNWA.com.

I don't know about you but all of this talk about water is making me thirsty!

Let's face it...the 2022 Las Vegas monsoon season has been a doozy. And we still have a month to go. But just for a little perspective, the National Weather Service has named this the wettest Las Vegas monsoon season we've had in ten years. According to their twitter page, we've had 1.28" of rain so far this year. You can see on the graph the last ten monsoon seasons and how they compare to this year's numbers.

https://twitter.com/NWSVegas/status/1558067667558232064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1558067667558232064%7Ctwgr%5E6aaeaca5123d93433bf4e675177353e5a9605257%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2F963kklz.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D423901action%3Dedit

Monsoon season starts anywhere between mid June and early July. And lasts until about mid September. Dangerous lightning, wildfires, dust storms and flash flooding. Monsoon season is not the time of year to be careless. That goes for whether we are home or out when a storm hits. On our Las Vegas roads we have seen a lot of slick pavement during this season, with the slippery combination of rainfall and discharge from automobiles. And the days after a storm haven't been any easier either. High winds and dust storms leaves a ton of debris on our roadways, making it hard to navigate even the most familiar of routes. During monsoon season, winds have been known to top 50 miles per hour, and many homes have seen damage like falling trees or broken shingles.

This year we've seen people dying in the flash floods of the underground tunnels. And Planet Hollywood just got an unexpected water feature in the middle of the gaming floor. Monsoon season is no joke. And it's important for us to remember when it's upon us. Let's do what we can to keep ourselves and our families safe during this treacherous time of year. To help in that effort, we've put together a list of tips that every resident should know during a Las Vegas monsoon season.

–Wendy Rush, 96.3KKLZ Las Vegas

Sometimes the storms during monsoon season last a few minutes. Other times it's a few hours. But wherever you are when it hits, it's best to stay put if you can. All that wind and rain makes driving more hazardous than ever. And blowing debris and lightning can also cause issues. Find something to do wherever you are and wait it out, if possible.

Texting and driving is always a bad idea, but a thousand times over during a storm. The roads are wet, visibility is compromised from rain or dust storms. This is not the time to drive with less than two hands. Never take your eyes off the road and drive under the speed limit.

Monsoon storms sometimes cause us to temporarily lose power. If you have any appliances or routers that you just cannot afford to have go out, get a back up power supply. There are lots of options, from little battery banks to full on generators. And having candles and/or flashlights on hand is never a bad idea.

During monsoon season, it's smart to keep an eye on each day's weather. If you're not used to checking on the weather before leaving the house, you can set up a lot of smart devices to automatically deliver that news every day. Then you can take the necessary precautions if a storm is headed your direction. There are also weather apps to choose from that can set up a schedule for daily reporting.

We hear it all the time! Driving (or walking) through flash flooding is a bad idea. But still people do it. If you're one of these people, keep in mind that it only takes 6 inches of moving water to knock over an adult. And only a foot and a half of it to move a vehicle. Turn around. It's not worth the risk.

Like we said, monsoon season sometimes brings winds over 50 mph. So be prepared for a little furniture rearranging on your back porch. If you have outdoor draperies, string lights or lightweight pillows, you might want to bring them in or make sure they're well-secured to something. Or you might be fishing them out of your neighbor's yard.

With all the water we've been getting in Vegas, there has been many opportunities for some water to collect in puddles here and there. Well this is the perfect breeding ground for our little mosquito friends. So during monsoon season, make it a habit to check places around your house that water can collect and dump it before those little buggers can lay their eggs.

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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