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This seems really cool, but what about Vegas' sustainability issues? Isn't everything still imported( especially water ), or does this project also address that

by mylons 13y ago

This seems really cool, but what about Vegas' sustainability issues? Isn't everything still imported( especially water ), or does this project also address that?

gaadd33 13y ago
I've always wondered that and haven't seen many address it. Given that the Colorado is running really low due to demands on it's water I can't help but wonder if creating a dense downtown in Vegas isn't the wrong direction to go from a sustainability point of view. (I'm not saying suburban sprawl is better, just saying that perhaps a resort city in the desert should just stay focused on a single industry) I wonder how the people involved reconcile the environmental impact of Vegas with growing it more.
moron4hire 13y ago
They're dealing with it in the same way the Baby Boomers dealt with unsustainable economic growth: go into debt and pass a law to make it future generations' problem!
_delirium 13y ago
A stopgap solution is currently in progress: since Lake Mead levels are dropping to the point where they threaten to fall below the level of Las Vegas's current intake pipes, a third pipe originating at a much lower level is being constructed (cost: about $800m). There are of course obvious reasons that moving your intake further down on a shrinking lake is not precisely a solution to the problem...
Amadou 13y ago
FWIW, SoCal imports vastly more water than Vegas does. Practically all the agriculture in SoCal would disappear without the imported water.
- ihaveajob 13y ago
  The city of Los Angeles has 6 times more people than Vegas, without counting the metro area, the OC and San Diego, and of course the agriculture. It would be shocking if LV took as much water as SoCal.
  - Amadou 13y ago
    While true, and quite obvious, I don't understand your point. Are you saying that makes SoCal water importation more sustainable?
gonzo 13y ago
In answer to all the below talking about Lake Mead and the Colorado river, note that much (perhaps most) of the water supply in Las Vegas is groundwater (think: large municipal wells), and the water level in these is dropping as well. There is some significant subsidence in the Northeast section of town.

by mylons 13y ago

This seems really cool, but what about Vegas' sustainability issues? Isn't everything still imported( especially water ), or does this project also address that?

gaadd33 13y ago

I've always wondered that and haven't seen many address it. Given that the Colorado is running really low due to demands on it's water I can't help but wonder if creating a dense downtown in Vegas isn't the wrong direction to go from a sustainability point of view. (I'm not saying suburban sprawl is better, just saying that perhaps a resort city in the desert should just stay focused on a single industry) I wonder how the people involved reconcile the environmental impact of Vegas with growing it more.

moron4hire 13y ago

They're dealing with it in the same way the Baby Boomers dealt with unsustainable economic growth: go into debt and pass a law to make it future generations' problem!

_delirium 13y ago

A stopgap solution is currently in progress: since Lake Mead levels are dropping to the point where they threaten to fall below the level of Las Vegas's current intake pipes, a third pipe originating at a much lower level is being constructed (cost: about $800m). There are of course obvious reasons that moving your intake further down on a shrinking lake is not precisely a solution to the problem...

Amadou 13y ago

FWIW, SoCal imports vastly more water than Vegas does. Practically all the agriculture in SoCal would disappear without the imported water.

ihaveajob 13y ago
The city of Los Angeles has 6 times more people than Vegas, without counting the metro area, the OC and San Diego, and of course the agriculture. It would be shocking if LV took as much water as SoCal.
- Amadou 13y ago
  While true, and quite obvious, I don't understand your point. Are you saying that makes SoCal water importation more sustainable?

gonzo 13y ago

In answer to all the below talking about Lake Mead and the Colorado river, note that much (perhaps most) of the water supply in Las Vegas is groundwater (think: large municipal wells), and the water level in these is dropping as well. There is some significant subsidence in the Northeast section of town.