Conservation continues to play important role in responding to shortage conditions

The Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) is projecting slightly improved conditions along the Colorado River, which will ease federally-declared water cuts for Southern Nevada next year. The BOR will move from a Tier 2 to a Tier 1 level water shortage beginning in January 2024.

Southern Nevada’s water supply will be reduced by 7 percent under the Tier 1 conditions. Under the current Tier 2 reductions for 2023, Nevada’s Colorado River water allocation was reduced by 8 percent.

While local water demands continue to be well below the shortage volumes, water conservation remains one of the most effective tools to protect the community’s water supply. The Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) recently augmented two of its water conservation incentive programs to help the community save water.

The SNWA increased its incentives for Water Efficient Technologies (WET) projects to improve the efficiency of existing evaporative cooling systems. The incentive changes include removing the $500,000 annual cap for evaporative cooling system upgrades or replacements. The total WET incentive will continue to cover up to 50 percent of the total project cost.

To expand and diversify the community’s urban tree population and to help reduce the impacts of a warming climate, the SNWA added a cash incentive of $100 per new tree planted as part of a Water Smart Landscapes project.

The tree rebate is in addition to the $3 per square foot incentive for replacing grass with drip-irrigated landscapes. Residential, business, multifamily and HOA properties participating in the WSL rebate automatically will be considered for the tree incentive as part of the program enrollment (some restrictions apply).

For more information about the WSL and WET rebates, visit snwa.com.

For more information about how your business can be part of the conservation solution, visit snwa.com.