Water conservation measures discussed by council

The lone public commenter calling on to the last city council meeting on Oct. 8 had one ask.

The consent agenda (the portion of the meeting agenda that is passed with a single vote and no discussion or public input) included the approval of a Southern Nevada Water District report that goes to the federal government and outlines water conservation measures being undertaken in the region. Fred Voltz asked that the item be moved to the regular agenda.

And, seemingly like magic, the next action of the council was to remove the report from the consent agenda to the regular agenda. It wasn’t actually magic. Acting City Manager Michael Mays had asked that the item be moved, reportedly after at least one written comment about the subject was received. (Written comments are no longer read into the public record at meetings, so this was not obvious.)

Maybe because no one could have known until that moment that the item was being moved, no one actually showed up to discuss the issue. But it did open the door for council members to “discuss” it.

Recently, councilmember Steve Walton said the quiet part out loud when he repeated the advice given to trial lawyers. “Never ask a question you don’t already know the answer to,” he said when asking city staff for information which they did not have, but he did.

For lawyers, the advice is generally seen as a way to not get sandbagged by a witness. In the case of politicians, it is more often a way to make a point and get it on the public record.

Utilities Director Joe Stubitz seemed to not have much to say as he basically read over the titles of the main sections of the SNWA report.

But one member of the council, Sherri Jorgensen, used the opening to focus her comments at residents who have expressed concern over water use in the wake of the council’s recent decision to not follow an SNWA water budget for its municipal golf course, opting to instead pay a fine (to itself, as the city owns both the golf course and the water utility) for using more water than allowed. “We’ve reduced our water use, right?” she quizzed Stubitz. “Over the last couple of years we have what has been a reduction in water use as a community. It’s been in the double-digit percentage range each year. So you would say over the last two to three years, how much?”

“I’d have to get the exact numbers but I’d say over 30%,” Stubitz replied. (In an email after the meeting, Stubitz clarified that the actual number is about 20%).

“Over 30%,” Jorgensen continued. “Are other municipalities also showing reduction up to 30%?”

“I don’t have that data,” Stubitz replied. “I can’t speculate for certain.”

But Jorgensen had her opening.

“I recognize that it may not seem like we’re doing much to some people, but I think that indicates that we are doing much as a city and a community to be able to save a vital resource which is water in the desert, right?”

“Absolutely,” Stubitz replied.

“I also noticed,” Jorgensen continued, “and it was a thought process to me that since the year 2000 to the year 2023 population growth is up 52% in the valley. Does anyone know what our population is up to since year 2000?

It may be the only time ever that an elected city official has actually used the fact that their city is shrinking as a selling point. In 2000, the census figures for Boulder City pegged the population at 15,047. Population stayed on a pretty even, slow-but-steady growth pattern for almost two decades. In 2019, it hit a post-Growth-Ordinance high of 16,278. Since then, the population has dropped by nearly 10% to 14,828 in 2023.

In addition to a shrinking population, Jorgensen pointed to other measures taken. Most of the actions the city has taken were mandated by SNWA.

Example: New swimming pools can’t be more than 600 square feet in size. Jorgensen called this “kind of an oversized bathtub.” That limit is actually due to an SNWA rule imposed in 2022. (Note that the average pool size in Southern Nevada is, per SNWA, only 475 square feet. The rule was put into place to stop the practice of “pool-scaping,” the installation of huge resort-style pools in backyards in some some very high-end homes in Las Vegas and Henderson.)

“Can you you have turf in the front yard?” Jorgensen continued.

“You cannot,” Stubitz replied.

Again. SNWA. While the council did move in September of 2022 to pass a list of conservation measures including the pool size and a restriction on front yard turf in new residential construction, the action really only put the city into compliance with new SNWA guidelines put into place earlier that year.

The resolution passed unanimously.