than most others cities spread across the country, all share a troubling
"condition" not being tended to, unbridled growth driven by real estate
developers.
Over the years I've visited Las Vegas many times, watching the city reinvent
itself, starting with the Sinatra era, millionaire high rollers, mega-casinos,
family friendly marketing, wealthy millennials, and the latest addition, high
priced condos which have even created a "skyline" equal to many small cities!
With each reinvention, Las Vegas, Clark County and its neighboring towns
have grown. Las Vegas now has 700,000, Clark County more than 2,000,000.
Years ago one old timer told me, "when Las Vegas exceeds 1,000,000 I don't
want to be here". He's now gone, hopefully to a better place, and I'm an old timer.
His concern was about the very reason people settled in "The Meadow", the
translation of Las Vegas, water!
When I first visited, looking down at the area from Hoover Dam forty miles
away from Las Vegas I saw thirty miles of desert before seeing homes and
businesses approaching Las Vegas.
No more, the desert has come to life, now developed, bundled into numerous
communities of homes and shopping malls like most of America, all occurring
as the critical need for water remains.
Visiting Lake Meade that flows through Hoover Dam I saw first hand the problem.
The water level is down 140 feet, 38% of capacity, and lowest in 80 years! Now
add a fourth number to these three, two million, the population.
The problem is so bad the marina to access Lake Meade was moved 200 yards to
be at the water's edge so boats could remain in the water!!!
Speaking with residents in Boulder City and the ones working in the Hoover Dam
tourist center you get a perspective, they care deeply about this wonderful part
of our country and what is happening.
Out West this is a major problem. rarely reported East of the Mississippi. Yet,
the building continues in at risk parts of Nevada and California, both dependent
on the Colorado River.
Politicians having more hearings are meaningless as long as the construction
noise of new residential towers can be heard in the background and only developers
and politicians remain unconvinced of the damage they are doing.
Drip, drip, drip solutions will not save "The Meadow"
Please add feedback in comments section below, or email ajbruno14@gmail.com "Point of View" blog http://ajbruno14.blogspot.com/
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