Nevada’s water fight: Slow-motion war over a thirsty future

Seeking more reliable water, Las Vegas looks to its rural neighbors for resources. Most, like Cecil Garland, pictured here, say they don’t have enough water to share with the metropolis.

This story appeared in Scientific American and ClimateWire in January 2012. A related story, focused on Great Basin National Park, appeared in Land Letter later that month.

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Nevada’s water fight: Slow-motion war over a thirsty future
Ellen M. Gilmer, E&E reporter

BAKER, Nev. — Denys Koyle parked an 8-foot bucket on the lot in front of her small motel, here on a lonely stretch of pavement crossing the Utah-Nevada line. A sign on the bucket reads: “Don’t Let Las Vegas Destroy Nevada. Stop the Water Pipeline.”

Koyle is an unlikely activist. She’s quick to point out that she’s no tree-hugger. But as she bustles between the Border Inn’s grill and gas station, she complains about the long reach and powerful thirst of Las Vegas. These are problems she thinks will put her area, Snake Valley, at risk.

“It’s a hundred-years’ war,” she says. “It’s exhausting.” …

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