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In 2004, the Las Vegas Valley Water District celebrated 50 years of
service to our desert community. Take a look back at our history
as we continue our commitment to our customers.
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| Video |
| The
Water District began operations in 1954. A lot has changed over
the past 50 years, but our commitment to our customers remains the
same. (10:18)
Download
the free Real Player to view.
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A Railroad Town
In the early 1900s, Las Vegas was a hub for the San Pedro, Los Angeles
and Salt Lake City Railroad, a predecessor to the Union Pacific Railroad.
The company formed the Las Vegas Land and Water Company (LVL&W) in
1905 to sell land and provide water to Las Vegas' growing population.
At that time, water came solely from wells and the Las Vegas Springs.
The Colorado River Compact in 1922 allotted a small amount
of Colorado River water to Southern Nevada. That supply went largely unused
until 1942, when Basic Management Inc. (BMI) in Henderson began importing
Lake Mead water from the Colorado River for industrial purposes. The rest
of the valley continued to rely on groundwater supplies.
Water District created
By the mid-1940s, the small town of Las Vegas was facing a major water
crisis. As population and water demand grew, city officials became more
concerned about a dwindling groundwater supply.
Hoping to curb groundwater usage, the Nevada Legislature
created the Las Vegas Valley Water District in 1947 to begin using the
state's Colorado River allocation. The Union Pacific Railroad agreed to
sell LVL&W in 1952 and the Water District began operations on July
1, 1954.
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| An early resident
stands next to a sign: "Please don't waste the water we have
to buy." Photo courtesy of UNLV
Lied Library Special Collections Department. |
Making history
The district's first major undertaking is one of the most important achievements
in Southern Nevada's history: the district created facilities to bring
water from Lake Mead to the valley. This relieved an ongoing water shortage
for the city, but also helped create one of the world's most popular resort
destinations and America's youngest major metropolitan area.
From the beginning, the district has been committed to
providing a safe, reliable water supply. Over the years, the district
has built more that 3,000 miles of pipeline, created a reservoir system
capable of storing 700 million gallons of water and implemented a sophisticated
water-quality monitoring program.
Now serving more than a million people, customer service is
an ongoing commitment as well, one that is reflected by our vision to
be "People Leading the Way."
For major milestones in our history, see our timeline.
Learn more about Las Vegas' cultural history at the Springs
Preserve.
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