[bayview6]

Originally Posted by Buzz123

Ch-3 News tonight reported that Lake Mead will rise, I think they said, 32 feet, by October. They plan to release more of Lake Powell water than originally planned.

Very good news indeed.

[olecapt]

Originally Posted by bayview6

What aquifer is that?

The Las Vegas Valley aquifer. There is a large aquifer directly under Las Vegas that is fed by the Spring Mountains. It is the reason that Las Vegas exists.

[bayview6]

Originally Posted by olecapt

The Las Vegas Valley aquifer. There is a large aquifer directly under Las Vegas that is fed by the Spring Mountains. It is the reason that Las Vegas exists.

The ONLY reason that aquifer is possibly rising is because the SNWA is injecting Colorado River water into it.

[olecapt]

Originally Posted by bayview6

The ONLY reason that aquifer is possibly rising is because the SNWA is injecting Colorado River water into it.

Nope. Tried that a bit 10 years ago and gave it up. What they actually did was pump Colorado River water into a couple of wells in the winter and pull it back out in the summer. Did not work well.

So nowadays they simply don't pump more than the need to fill certain demand problems in the summer and otherwise leave it alone.

And the aquifer has been rising slowly over the last ten years. Let us go from a 7.5 hp pump to a 5 as the aquifer was up 30 feet where our well is located.

[bayview6]

Originally Posted by olecapt

Nope. Tried that a bit 10 years ago and gave it up. What they actually did was pump Colorado River water into a couple of wells in the winter and pull it back out in the summer. Did not work well.

So nowadays they simply don't pump more than the need to fill certain demand problems in the summer and otherwise leave it alone.

And the aquifer has been rising slowly over the last ten years. Let us go from a 7.5 hp pump to a 5 as the aquifer was up 30 feet where our well is located.

How deep is your well?

[olecapt]

Originally Posted by bayview6

How deep is your well?

Well is 400 feet deep. We pump from around 230 feet. Use to pump from around 270.

Note that we are only partially up the hill. Get around Lone Mountain and they pump from 500 feet...and the far places against the springs get close to 800.

[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by olecapt

Well is 400 feet deep. We pump from around 230 feet. Use to pump from around 270.

Note that we are only partially up the hill. Get around Lone Mountain and they pump from 500 feet...and the far places against the springs get close to 800.

And in the east side of town it's about 10 feet.

OC, it has always been my understanding that no water from the Spring Mountains makes it to Las Vegas. Also, it was my understanding that they were pumping water back into the wells because of subsidence problems. And, not to start an argument, but I also understand that the people on wells would pay less if they hooked up to LVVWA lines, and actually have better water; but, apparently many people like the independence even if it costs more.

Your comments?

[olecapt]

Originally Posted by Buzz123

And in the east side of town it's about 10 feet.

OC, it has always been my understanding that no water from the Spring Mountains makes it to Las Vegas. Also, it was my understanding that they were pumping water back into the wells because of subsidence problems. And, not to start an argument, but I also understand that the people on wells would pay less if they hooked up to LVVWA lines, and actually have better water; but, apparently many people like the independence even if it costs more.

Your comments?

Virtually all well water in Las Vegas comes from the Spring Mountains...the other side of the Springs which get substantial snow. There is no other source. Note that the artesian basin flowed through surface springs until well after WWII. And the water level was deliberately lowered as running off in a river was not considered "beneficial use" by the state of Nevada.

The brief experiments with returning water to the aquifer were terminated 8 or 10 years ago. Pretty much the intent was to store the excess water available in the distribution system in the winter across town to withdraw in the summer. There was never any intent to restore the aquifer which would take a whole lot of water.

What goes on now is a phoney accounting only storage account where SNWA gets credit for that which they don't pump and then claims it as a reserve to be pumped if things get bad. That would of course damage the aquifer and would lead to subsidence and suits and god knows what. Hopefully it never happens.

On the east side there is a shallow aquifer driven by local runoff. Most is not potable. There are also far more problems there with wells. You can however get a bad well area anywhere...rare though in the NW and SW.

Water quality is at least as good as SNWA probably mostly better. It is hard...but so is the Colorado. It is cheaper than SNWA for a larger user by a factor of 3 or 4. The value of a an acre feet of well right has varied over the years from $20,000 max to low teens nowadays. Note though you don't need a share if you have an acre and are 300 feet from the water system.