LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Henderson City Council approved an ordinance this past week that would cut the water supply for golf courses beginning January 1, 2024.
The ordinance will reduce golf course water budgets from 6.3 acre-feet per year to 4 acre-feet per year.
"Golf courses throughout Southern Nevada have been preparing to make an adjustment to that water budget," said Southern Nevada Water Authority spokesperson, Bronson Mack.
According to Mack, golf courses have been on water budgets since 2004. This latest cut would save an estimated 842 gallons of water by the year 2025, according to SWNA.
"This is all part of a mosaic approach that we have taken as a community to try and achieve a water conservation goal of 86 gallons per person per day by 2035," said Mack.
Although golf courses currently use about 5% of Nevada's total water supply, Mack said they play a big role in water conservation because almost all of the water golf courses use is consumptive use.
"It's water that is only used one time in order to irrigate the golf course, much like the water that we use outdoors at our homes. It's only used one time to irrigate our landscape unlike water that we use indoors, that we get to recycle and reuse, returning it back to Lake Mead and extending our water supply," said Bronson. "That is why golf courses really have to be good partners in conservation and have been good partners in conservation because almost all of their water use is for consumptive use."
