LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Monsoon this year doesn’t seem to be slowing down, and while the rain is needed in our drought stricken desert, it’s not putting a dent in our water crisis.
The Las Vegas Valley Water District says more cuts are needed.
One of the proposed cuts was to golf course budgets. Existing rules allow golf courses to use up to 6.3 acre-feet per irrigated acre. The new proposal will cut that down to 4 acre-feet per irrigated acre effective January 1, 2024.
Rhodes Ranch Golf Club in the Southwest sits at about 165 acres. When it was built in the 90s, 145 of those acres were turf. Now, it’s down to 80 to help save water. They are already preparing to cut more after meeting with the water district last week.
Golf course superintendent Oscar Sanchez told us, "They tell us what we can use. Based on that we have to go home and look at our numbers and see how we are going to make it work. It’s not an option. That’s what they’ve given us."
In order to meet the 4 acre-feet limit, they have to cut out more grass.
"A little over 10 acres. Almost 10 and a half acres. That’s a lot of grass," explains Sanchez.
They say that while 6.3 down to 4 doesn’t seem like a lot, it is. They aren’t sure they can do much more while keeping the golf course intact.
"I think we’re to the bottom line. If they want to cut more water then we’re not going to survive," Sanchez said.
Another factor of getting rid of grass is the shortage of labor to do it.
"It’s a lot of work and effort. Obviously our labor force is pretty weak because there are no labor to be hired from," says Sanchez.
