For
years, Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) has been telling you that the Watergrab will “only”
cost $3,500,000,000. But, when legally bound to tell the truth; SNWA
(in writing) told the Nevada State Engineer $15,000,000,000. And even
then, SNWA left out cost overruns and the huge cost of energy to pump
water across the State of Nevada!
This
is what as known as creative accounting. Think of it like buying a
car. The true cost of the car is much higher than the sticker price.
$3,500,000,000 is the sticker price. $7,500,000,000 is the is the
price with all the added features. $15,000,000,000 is the price with
finance costs. $20,000,000,000 is the price with cost overruns
(typically SNWA projects have had 30% cost overruns). And then, of
course; there are still maintenance and fuel costs.
What
does this mean to you?
The
math is simple: 20 billion dollars spread out over 2 million people
(the population of Southern Nevada SNWA customers) equals $10,000
for every man, woman, and child – before we talk about
maintenance and operation costs.
For
a family of 4 that means $40,000 – spread out in payments over approximately 40
years – about $1,000 a year – or almost $100
a month. Add the electric bill for pumping the water up to 300 miles, and a
family of four will probably pay over $100 a month more for
the Watergrab for the rest of the adults' lives.
But
wait... you already have plenty of water... Just check your
tap. Last year the Bureau of Reclamation posted that Nevada only used
237 thousand acre feet of Colorado River water (net). Nevada's
allotment is 300 thousand acre feet. Which means, at Southern
Nevada's present population, there is plenty of water – even if
there were imposed restrictions.
Which
means: the Watergrab is for growth.
Now
you may still believe in the exponential growth Ponzi scheme, but are
you willing to pay $100 dollars a month for water for other people?
And
what if Southern Nevada ceases to grow? We saw what happened to Las
Vegas when the financial crisis hit. We know that present banking
regulations aren't enough to avoid another banking crisis. We know
that the price of gas will continue to rise (because deeper water
drilling, dirtier tar sands, and more difficult fracking are just
getting more expensive). There is a real risk that Las Vegas could
grow for a while and then contract – which would leave Southern
Nevada residents with a huge bill for a boondoggle.
So,
what's Southern Nevada to do? Save Central Nevada's water for when
you really need it. Until then, get developers etc. to
foot the bill themselves for desalination facilities off the coast of
California in exchange for a bigger allotment of the Colorado River.
