Mark Dhaemers and Stephanie Bullock, a realtor with Signature Real Estate Group, look over a backyard pool at a home for sale near Wigwam Avenue and Buffalo Drive Thursday, June 9, 2022.
Tuesday, July 19, 2022 | 6:07 p.m.
The Clark County Commission approved a new measure to mitigate the falling water level of Lake Mead on Tuesday, limiting residential pool sizes in the Las Vegas area.
The commission Tuesday unanimously approved a new ordinance prohibiting the Las Vegas Valley Water District from serving residents with pools with a total surface area of over 600 square feet. The new code will only apply to single-family residential customers who received a pool permit for their “pool(s), spa(s), and/or water feature(s)” after Sept. 1, 2022.
LVVWD General Manager John Entsminger explained that restrictions like these are needed because of shrinking water levels at Lake Mead and the Colorado River. A model from the Bureau of Reclamation, which Entsminger showed in a presentation during the LVVWD’s meeting Tuesday revealed lake elevations are drastically falling and estimated the lake will be close to dead-pool level by 2026 if Southern Nevada continues to see little rain.
“We have a lot of pools that exceed 3,000 square feet… and a lot of stuff seen in these new homes is not even used for recreation. It is all for aesthetic,” Entsminger said. “The increase in ‘pool-scaping’ definitely threatens to erode our efficiency gains in conservation.”
The ordinance will cover residential areas in the city of Las Vegas and unincorporated areas in Clark County, which would leave residents of surrounding cities, such as Henderson and North Las Vegas, unaffected by the new rules.
Members of the pool industry and conservationists were divided in their reception of this new ruling. Jaina Moan, the director of Nature Conservancy in Nevada, acknowledged that water is crucial for both human needs and the environment, but urged the board to move forward with the approval.
“We believe it is possible to provide water for human needs while also conserving water for plants and wildlife,” Moan said. “We need a new way of managing our water and rivers, and this is a step in the right direction.”
Jonathan Lytle, Southern Nevada policy and advocacy manager for the Nevada Conservation League, said “reducing Southern Nevada’s consumption (and) water use is the most effective way to realize water conservation savings.” He explained that the average pool size in Southern Nevada is roughly 475 square feet, which both Lytle and Entsminger believe “provides sufficient recreation space for the single-family residential home use.”
Although resident Mike Fry knows Las Vegas is concerned about water availability, he said the LVVWD “has done probably too good of a job over the years of putting the onus on the backs of the residents of Nevada” by “treating residences more harshly than commercial projects.”
“Commercial water parks – commercial water features – they’re afforded the opportunity to have alternatives to their size,” Fry said. “They can provide $30 per square foot of surface area, they can replace existing landscaping, and they can increase their size, but residences are not having that same opportunity if you limit to 600 feet.”
Fry also asked that the board take no action and delay the decision “to meet with citizens and come up with a better plan to save more water.”
Some members of the pool industry, like Dustin Watters, echoed Fry’s comments. Watters is a Las Vegas native that manages Watters Aquatech Pools and Spas, which was founded by his parents. He believes the pool industry “is being unfairly targeted because it’s easy to show pictures of lavish swimming pools and saying that’s the problem why (Southern Nevadans) have less water.”
Watters, who has worked with various water boards across the city, wants the LVVWD to have a code that is “enforceable.”
“If we can work together to come up with better solutions that save more water, which our industry has collectively come together, we feel like our community will continue to thrive,” Watters said.
