Katie Horn and Debbie Van Dooremolen
Public Affairs Manager and Biologist, Southern Nevada Water Authority
Las Vegas, NV
November 18, 2024
It’s a warm November morning in Las Vegas as we stand overlooking Sin City – helicopters fly through the thick smear of smog on the horizon of casinos and hotels. We’re joined by Katie Horn and Debbie Van Dooremolen from the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) on a rocky knoll scattered with broken glass and other paraphernalia. Both strain their voices to talk over the dull roar of the highway. What we’re focused on today is the winding belt of the river and wetlands that starkly contrast the surrounding xeric shrubland of the Mojave Desert.
Both women work for the Southern Nevada Water Authority which was formed in 1991 as a conglomerate of water purveyors in the Las Vegas area. This way, the SNWA acts as one voice on the river to reduce conflict in the region. Las Vegas receives less than 1% of the Colorado River flow and all of it must meet the most efficient use with rising populations and temperatures.“This is just the new scenario moving forward, and climate change is going to make those conditions more severe. It's going to be hotter. People are going to be using more water longer to meet those demands, so we're planning for just a bad day every year,” Katie, the Public Affairs manager tells us. And it’s true: in recent years there’s been a moratorium on grass lawns, golf courses, and pools. “You don't get to have what the weather provides in other states,” she reminds us.
Historically, the Las Vegas wash was dry. It wasn’t until the early 1950s when the first treated urban runoff from the city made its way through the historic wash to Lake Mead. As development increased exponentially, so did the runoff. By the 1990s, the river had downcut severely, and by 1997, perchlorate was found in the wash.
Debbie Van Dooremolen, a biologist with the SNWA, tells us that everyone knew something had to be done, and the SNWA had to lead that effort. That same year, the water quality citizens advisory was formed to address the pressing issues surrounding the wash. With the formation of the advisory came amendments to the Las Vegas Water Management Plan, the establishment of the wash as a protected wetlands, and the construction of weirs to support bank stability from continued erosion.
These days, the wash springs with life. People bike and run on the trails, coyotes trot through the saltbrush, and the endangered Southwestern Willow Flycatcher has returned. “We all rely on it,” Debbie says, gesturing to the now perennial stream. The Las Vegas wash stands as a testimony to community and ecological resilience in the face of climate change.
by Gwen Marbet