LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Inside our homes, the water that comes out of our faucets can be repurposed, but that's not the case when it comes to outdoor water use. During a time when our water levels are so low the Las Vegas Valley Water District's top priority is to help us conserve water and crack down on violators.
Whether it's a broken sprinkler head or a ripped irrigation pipe, Jhony Ceron, a Waste Water Investigator, says it’s a big red flag as water in the west continues to dry up.
“The concern is water waste, the water level at Lake Mead is going very low,” said Ceron.
He says he starts his day around 7 am every day, driving through neighborhoods. He's looking for violations like excess watering, leaky irrigation systems, and watering on days you are not supposed to.
“It's very important that the water is not on the street because here it's the desert, the water just dissipates and disappears into the air and we don't get that water, we can’t recycle it,” said Ceron.
At his first stop, he arrived at a home where sprinkler water was spilling onto the sidewalk. He took videos of the violation, he narrated it, and checked to see if the customer had any previous violations. If not, he leaves a note on their door as a warning.
“The first time, we don't want to give any violations, we are here to educate the customer and let them know what's happening,” Ceron said.
If a customer has been warned before they can receive a fee of at least $80. Ceron says he follows the trail of water on the side of the road which leads him to the water violation. He also checks back to see if the home or business owners have fixed previously reported problems.
Bronson Mack, the Outreach Manager for Las Vegas Valley Water District, says 60% of our community's overall water supply is used outdoors for landscape and irrigation…
“Using water outdoors has to be done in a very efficient manner because we only get one shot to use that water,” Mack said.
Ceron says everyone must do their part to preserve our water.
“The drought is really, really, really bad, so now we have a lot more patrol like myself, patrol people that come around the communities and do this job,” said Ceron.
