Thursday, October 16, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Mercury

Dry lakes?

Suburban neighborhoods fear for future of water features

By Larry Wills

Step outside Russ Powers' office and you're in a different world. Pine trees offer ample shade along a hill and two streams race over rocks, tumbling to a large pond below. Crossing a small bridge, the oasis becomes a welcome respite from the warm sun.

You'd hardly know you're in Las Vegas.

But Powers worries about the future of the 14-year-old landscape at the Painted Desert community at Ann Road and U.S. 95.

The manager of the homeowners' association fears the streams and pond may be history under tough new drought rules. One of those rules is a prohibition on fountains, and Powers wonders if the streams will come under that classification. "We, like everyone else, have been impacted," he says. "We've asked permission to operate it. If the City Council decides to shut it down, we have to do it in 48 hours."

The city has prohibited operating fountains that are larger than 200 square feet, and, depending on how you define those streams, or measure them, they might be illegal.

Powers' situation is typical of many associations throughout the valley that face comprehensive landscaping overhauls and a rethinking of aesthetics. For many, it's the end of an era when the desert always bloomed. Property values have been enhanced by nearby sparkling water and expanses of turf. No more.

But if the water has to be shut off at Painted Desert, that's only the beginning of the problems for Powers. "You have to pull the muck out of the pond," he says. "Then you have a large hole in the ground." Not to mention a few homeless mallards.

"We set aside money to shore it up," he says of the facility, "but not to shut it down. We estimate the cost will be $200,000 to tear it up."

What's frustrating for Powers is he's already been working to reduce water consumption. The perimeter of the 1,600-home community has been converted to desert landscaping and water use has dropped 20 percent. But he balks at killing the pond. "It's a pastoral feature," he says. "It will impact us aesthetically."

Until he gets the word from the city, several association committees are looking at alternatives, such as downsizing the pond. And, Powers says, most of the residents understand the valley is in a drought and cutbacks are needed. "Everybody seems to want to get along," he says. "Our goal is to improve life. The biggest problem is economic."

That's Rita Peterson's worry, too. As general manager of Desert Shores, a northwest community of 2,950 homes and four lakes, she is unclear on the impacts of the new rules."It's too soon to tell," she says. "We surveyed all homeowners, asking for options they could live with and what they could live without." An association committee is expected to make recommendations to the board of directors by Dec. 19.

Peterson says other associations are not waiting for guidance from City Hall. "A lot of associations have started their conversions already." But Peterson, like Powers, doesn't see the changeovers as cheap. She already describes Desert Shores' water bill as "hefty."

Tina Cameron, who manages The Lakes association for MDL Group, says her organization is exploring options after it filed for a variance to the new rules. "We're in the process of determining what to do next," he says.

The prohibition on large fountains is just one of several restrictions that went into effect since Sept. 1. Residents are limited to three days of lawn watering a week, going down to once a week during winter. Commercial misting systems are banned, but residents can keep their fountains and misters. If you wash your car at home, you must use a shut-off nozzle, and car wash businesses are limited to 10 gallons per vehicle, portending half-clean SUVs running around town. New commercial enterprises cannot install turf and golf courses are limited to 6.5 acre-feet of water per acre. Failure to comply with the rules can result in painful fees.

Actual enforcement of the fountain ban comes through city and county ordinances. The city's prohibition may not be matched by the County Commission, which is considering a controversial exemption for Strip resorts, on the theory that they need to generate income from tourists. A hearing is slated on the county proposal Oct. 21.

But Tracy Bower, spokeswoman for the Las Vegas Valley Water District, says it's up to the city and county to decide which fountains to outlaw. "Our goal is to create something fairly uniform throughout the valley. We've taken a consensus-building approach."

And she insists the concerns about losing lakes are not warranted. "If it's a fountain, it must be shut off. If it's a man-made lake, there is a surcharge for the filling water."

Ken Albright, the water authority's director of resources, concedes there may be some confusion over the rules, particularly on the fountains. "There's no provision to require anyone to take them out," he says. "Just shut off the water. We'll be turning the fountains on again, someday."

And he says most of the offending fountains are already turned off. "We have thousands of fountains and there are only 20 to 25 exemptions applied for," Albright says. "We're in an administrative process of determining which fountains should be turned off." He also says he's been getting reports of illegal operators. "We'll get calls from people who see a fountain on. Most calls are very supportive."

Albright also sees a surge in the number of residents wanting to convert their lawns to desert landscaping.

"We've gone from 200 a year to 500 a month. We're watching the community become a community on this issue. It's pretty neat to see what's happening."

Albright hopes the water shortage won't last forever. "Next winter, I'm going to Utah and I'm going to do snow dances," he jokes.

But that's of little solace to Powers, who doesn't want his lush amenities to become the black hole of Ann Road. "Basic fairness is the cornerstone of this issue," he says.
CHRISTINE WETZEL

Russ Powers, manager of the Painted Desert homeowners' association, worries about the future of the community's 14-year-old landscape.