Why Las Vegas Is NOT Running Out of Water (Anytime Soon) 

Follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/JacobsVegasLife

Residential and maybe commercial use in any of these states is not the problem. It's agriculture that is the real issue. I'm not as optimistic that Las Vegas will not escape any repercussions of a diminishing water supply. You will still need produce grown in California and Arizona. And once the Lake Mead level goes below 950 ft., Hoover dam will no longer be able to produce the electricity you need. I think you forgot to mention that.

I loved this video,but the water situation is still a problem no matter how you stir the soup.

Let's ignore the problem and hope it goes away.

Well this all looks good presented via video...but...as a former statistician there is always that one element that you cannot blend into any equation....of course that will be the environment (it will do what it wants). If you do not have at least three plans going into any situation you will find yourself at some point asking "What Do We Do Now". I would want to see their hard plans before I put my feet up and started sipping tea.

I love how he's down playing a very problematic issue.

The title of this video should be…”Yes Vegas will go dry but only after Mexico and California.” I don’t think this video will age well because I think 4 years from now (2026) we’ll be beyond Deadpool level.

Ohh, BUNK, Jacob. The fact that Lakes Powell and Mead are depleting so fast is a sure sign that Nevada is in as serious trouble same as all the states affected.

But what will eventually happen to the underground water table? California thought they had an endless supply of underground water, but now it's rapidly depleting that reservoir...

Excellent Video Jacob! Being the Prez of my HOA down here in SoCal. Im encouraging our Board to replace the lawns around our complex with decorative mulch or drought resistant plants. I admire what those forward thinking people in Vegas did up there 20 years ago. Theyve set a great example. "Like"

You totally ignore what happens when others downstream can't get their allotments or think they should get more -- lawsuits. Read up on the seemingly never-ending lawsuits between Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. We're over 30 years into these so far. It's going to happen, and it will be contentious. Agriculture, cities, environmentalists, states, the federal government. Lots of stakeholders.

The Hoover's source, the Colorado River, is also drying at an alarming rate. Water levels dropping in Lake Mead so quickly that they have to install a 3rd pump. And when that pump dries? How are you not concerned?

Good luck with that optimism!

And here in Southern CA, our politicians just denied a plan for another water desalination plant on the coast...smh

They say there's a lot of gambling in Vegas. Ranked by agricultural output, California is by far #1. Arizona #29 and Nevada #43. The 3rd intake at Lake Mead was a strategic move. Another thing to consider is how much reserves each state has. Also how much they've stressed water tables. The extra intake pipe at Mead allows Vegas to play 'last man standing'.

Does Las Vegas collect the tears of guests when they find out resort fees and parking are chargeable?

One thing you did not take into consideration. If lake Mead runs below 900 feet and downstream states start screaming for water . They could open up the diversion tunnels to release water down stream from the dam. That will certainly take the water level below 875 feet rendering the third straw useless. Las Vegas is definitely threatened. The agricultural output of the great South West, that feeds a large part of the country, is more important and will not be sacrificed for gambling. There are plenty of casinos elsewhere in the country. Think about that.

I appreciated your explanation and do find it interesting that we only consume about 1% of that water, BUT you still made the point that its receding majorly, so we had to build pipelines far lower down. So the major problem still stands that the states COMBINED are sucking it dry. Granted you made the point that it's not Las Vegas fault and we will have the last of it, but the important question is still how do we fill the lake back up, so we dont have to fight over the last of it?

Love that opening Jacob! Lol.. thanks for the vid.

What a great video you put together!

Very informative! Thanks Jacob.

Living in north east Nevada. We are also suffering from drought. Some of the wells are no longer pumping water as water table seems to have been dropping. One of my co workers is from California and his family in California are now having issues with their own water table. I am not saying panic. I am saying that time will tell us how bad this will be before the drought ends

I've been hoping that water would disappear from the Vegas area, it's ridiculous to have a million people living in a desert!!

Love the new perspective you brought to the issue.

Good job Jacob ,great info

I had a glass of tap water at a restaurant in Vegas. It was the nastiest tasting water I’ve ever had, and I live in NYC.

Great video. The cuts had to be a pain in the ass to make between locations but it’s evident the quality way you did it. Good job

Love, love, love this video!!! Thank you for doing this.

Thanks for the great, informative video. keep em comin'.

This is an awesome video 👍🏼

Your best video yet💕👍🏻

Very interesting. You did a great job. Thanks.

This is a very informative video I am glad i spent the time. Thank you for the info.

Your best video ever. Great job.

I was never one to blame Vegas and I lived in AZ for a decade years back, but if people in these other states besides NV and AZ don't start conserving even more water or come up with a permanent solution for the future of their water, then it will be an even bigger problem. That's fine if Vegas and Nevada doesn't run out of water as quick as some say, but what about the ecosystem and habitat for wildlife and stuff downstream of Hoover Dam, you make it seem not a big deal that the Colorado River could cease to exist in a few years. That's the only sad part of this well made video.

Great informative vlog & best of luck on the new slot channel

This was a great video for someone like me who never even visited the state but was wondering about the water problem . Thanks

Regardless of laws and regulations, when the water runs out... homes will become worthless and a mass migration will ensue. Im glad you have a positive outlook on the situation, yet the fact is all communities in the SW have exceeded their carrying capacity by many orders of magnitude. Mark Twain said it best, " Whiskey is for drinkin, water is for fightin!" Good luck in your quest for the only resource we truely need everyday, especially in a desert. PS, consider the fact that you are consuming recycled black water, and the pharmaceutical chemicals remain in that water after leaving the treatment facilities. Thats gross.

I am happy to hear that. I am thinking about retirement in Las Vegas

Great video brother, I enjoyed all the facts you layed down here for viewers to understand how we're not gonna be thirsty in a longggg time 😎

This is probably your best edited and composed video ever Jason

Well done video, however water usage for these areas has gone up significantly since the original pact and the construction of the dam. Recycling water is cool and all, but the bottom line is that everything you mentioned (water features, pools, etc) is in a DESERT! Evaporation is a massive element of the water usage in NV, especially agricultural. You can’t recycle it if it evaporates. 🤷🏻‍♂️ Also, is that 20% less water PER USER or NET? I have a feeling that statement may have been misconstrued a bit. 20% less water per capita is certainly a good thing, but the overall usage after adding those 750k people would still be MUCH higher than initially envisioned. The whole idea of installing the third intake pipe frustrates me a bit, an entire engineering project put into motion to ensure that every last drop can be sucked from the river? Just doesn’t sit well with me. The foresight of the project is also frustrating- obviously people KNEW this was the direction we were headed decades ago, and haven’t done a damn (no pun intended) thing about it (at least nothing impactful to the reservoir drop rates.) I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but I can’t comprehend why drastic measures aren’t being taken IMMEDIATELY (or even years ago.) I think the feds should have been involved a long time ago personally; the states are certainly not concerned - least of which is Vegas as you stated, which will be the last to have water access. Ironically that makes me feel a BIT better about the third intake installation; eventually cutting water extraction by 2/3 would have the side effect of restoring water to the reservoir and basin downstream, but one can only assume they’d get the upper intakes operational again ASAP. Perhaps by that point, there will be so much additional public outcry at the situation that they may NOT return them to service (especially if alternatives have been established.) I think California is going to have to spend some of that ridiculous tax money on some immense desalination plants - it’s really their only viable answer going forward. Part of me thinks everyone is intentionally down-playing ALL of this, so that in an inevitable last-minute emergency act, congress will allocate absurd money for redirection of other waterways and desalination plants - without the states having to pay out of pocket. The whole thing certainly seems to have some underlying political corruption element to it - there’s simply no other possible way the reservoir would be in its current state otherwise.

can you talk about the 2.4 billion gallons that has been transferred from Lake Meade into Lake Las Vegas in the past 12 months...thanks

just at the end of August the highest "straw" broke the surface of Lake Mede. No more water going down that pipe. Two more to go. The deepest "straw" is around 150ft deeper and is dedicated to drinking water. Since the level is getting closer to the bottom, it will be loosing "level" a lot faster since total area is shrinking quickly. So good luck.

Lake Powell fills from the snow pack. Lake Powell is facing the same problem with dead pool. If they reach dead pool, then no water down stream to fill lake Mead at all. SO what water will go into pipe if Lake Powell goes to deadpool

Agree to disagree, I have no horse in this race because I live in Texas. Las Vegas along with a whole host or other cities will run dry at some point unless the drought is reversed dramatically. Best of luck.

I love how you provided seamless commentary with the changing scenes. Brilliant and very enjoyable, great job Jacob!!

This was very helpful, thank you!

Good video man!

This is who you are. The slots not so much. Thank you for this great information.

Conservation is fine, deep straw is fine, all we can do is make best efforts based upon facts. And it's a simple fact that if there's not enough rain/snow (supply) and the entirety of the Southwest and Northern Mexico continues to run on a deficit (demand) none of that matters. Simple math. It's not just the Colorado that's drying up, it's also the Rio Grande and it's Lake Powell and Shasta, Great Salt Lake, etc. (it's happening all over the world in major waterways, not just the US, to be fair). And it's not just river and lake levels that are alarming, it's the water table in the ground that's drying up, forcing everyone to literally dig deeper to get to the aquifers. This is not about "doom and gloom" or red and blue or whodunnit or the blame game, it's about what's happening. Could weather trends (20+ years of them, ongoing) change? Absolutely. Nature has a mind of its own and is always bigger than us. If the drought persists for the next one, two, three years you can be personally optimistic all you want but the herd around you will start to migrate elsewhere (aka get out while the gettin' out's good) and your life in terms of water, food, jobs, tourism, home values, tax bases will be affected extremely adversely.

Great video Jacob. Learned a lot!

Great video! Learned a lot!

So are they intentionally letting lake mead dry to see what’s at the bottom???

If anyone is skeptical about the amount of water Vegas recycles, I invite them to try drinking the tap water. It's the worst!

Thank you for this video.

Well done video. By the way HAPPY BIRTHDAY Jacob.

The problem was not eliminated but only postponed !!!

"This ensures that the Vegas Valley still has access to water, even when other places downstream do not". What's upstream from Las Vegas? Lake Powell which borders Utah and Arizona. This isn't called the water wars for nothing.

Great and informative video!

really nice animations! Thanks for the explanation Jacob. I was in Las Vegas in Nov-Dec 2023 and didn't notice any water shortage.

Don't count your acre feet before they arrive. Consider this: the 1922 allocation agreement amounts to each state ( and Mexico ) getting a certain percentage of total Colorado River flow. Regardless of the methodology used to arrive at these allocations percentages, or whether we agree with them or not, they could be used as the basis for calculating present allocations in the face of severely reduced river flow. If so, this would amount in all states getting less water in absolute terms ( acre feet ), putting lots of things - including Las Vegas - at risk. The flip side of this is that the 1922 agreement is horribly outdated, and the realities of development and demographics have changed relative water demands enormously. So, a new allocation agreement is in order, in which case, Nevada and thus Las Vegas, could presumably receive a higher allocation than they have now. Bit getting seven states and Mexico to hammer such s new agreement out is going to take a long, long time, if it can even be achieved at all.

Finally. a report on the water STRAWS. Not many people knew about this. It was difficult finding information on this before this great report! You did a great job on this entire WATER ISSUE!!! Thank you so much!

Good video. I didn't realize Nevada used so little water from the Colorado River. Thanks for setting the record straight.

Thanks for the great update

As the volume of the reservoir decreases, so would the Vegas share using the same percentage use of the available reservoir volume.

Well 7 million acre feet isn't much.. thats whats in there and it holds around 30 million

Informative, and succinct. Well done.

EXCELLENT, setting the record straight! Warm Regards from Reno, Nevada

Thank you for explaining all this. We've only been here 4 years and i was starting to worry that we made a huge mistake moving here and should maybe move back east.. thanks for making us, me and hubby, feel better..

Good to know about LV recycling water. That's awesome 👌

ANOTHER Awesome video!

Well done, Bravo!

You have a fantastic "documentary" voice.

Hang on to your hopeium.

Such a great video. Subscribed

Thanks for adding the useful graphics and info other states should be consider

Missed one HUGE fact. 1,000 ft deep natural aquifers are beneath the entire Vegas Valley, which is why the Valley has been a desert oasis for tens of millions of years. At one time Vegas had the most hot springs in the world. The Strip gets 90% of its water from wells and there are thousands of private wells receiving water from the aquifers - none of this draws from Lake Mead. Will Mead drain below Dead Pool? Not for long at all as the Colorado River flows well over 5 million into Mead in the worst of drought years. Want outdoor water? Last night we dined on take out Panera Bread sitting in our lawn chairs in a bubbling brook up in Red Rock Canyon while the Goldens splashed in the creek. It was absolutely surreal and peaceful and we'll be doing this often as we've never seen anyone else doing this.

Wow, Jacob got paid very well to do a puff piece for all their real estate friends and other businesses. The Nevada water authority is of course going to say everything is alright and that the 3rd straw will keep Vegas in water. Well Lake Mead has dropped significantly this year and with Lake Powell at record lows how is any more water going to be pumped downstream to Lake Mead? Being at 900 ft with the 3rd straw I think will be useless in about 2 years. Anyone that buys property in Vegas/Henderson currently are making a huge mistake I think.

Thank you for this video!!

Oh My Gosh there is hope after all in the World. Many Thanks Jacob

What you've neglected to realize is that at deadpool water will be diverted AROUND the hoover damn. Thus restoring the reservoir back to just a river. California isn't gonna just fold. But yes I agree this won't be for another year or two, in the mean time live it up, it's always a great time to buy a home in Las Vegas!

Excellent video and information, this piece should be in national news, well done Jacob, I was in Vegas during the week didn’t get a chance to see you

Thanks for sharing this information!

Thank you for this video. You've included more useful information here than all of the news reports that I've seen on the situation. Here I have some important questions. If agriculture in the region is drawing so much water as some reports indicate, why hasn't anyone asked farmers any tough questions about their usage? And what changes will they make going forward? Also, the Mohave Desert is one of the hottest and driest places on the planet and we're living through a megadrought. I'm curious to know what public officials will do if this gets worse.

Thanks for great information. But It still drives me nuts when see grass in places there it don't belong, and when I hear of some home owners that use more water for there homes and LAWN ( GRASS ) than two or three casino hotels combined. I hope for the best of everything for Las Vegas I love that city and all it offers. Returning Soon. Thanks again.

Wow, what a great, informative video. Thanks Jacob!

This is good news!!! Our city is so beautiful!! Awesome video!

Fascinating video, thank you.

Fine for Las Vegas. What about the 10 million other people in the other 6 states? Vegas isn't the only place in the southwest that need water and electricity.

I've never heard anyone blame Vegas for the shortage. And I am glad Vegas is doing such a good job. I live in Palmdale, CA. and pretty much all of the agriculture in this area is gone. Lawns in front of house are going away at a fast pace. Thanks for a very enjoyable video.

Great video! But I wanna know where you got that shot of Vegas in the dust starting at 0:21, that was cool!

cool, thanks for the education. I'd love to hear more about the water recycling.

Las Vegas isn't running out of water, the Southwest is running out of water. To many people and farms in a desert, simple.

The video is missing the point that water is an ever-diminishing resource in the US West, because of less Rocky Mountain snowfall. When people finally realize that's the real problem, property values are going to plummet. Quickly and dramatically. While property values in areas with plenty of natural water skyrocket. Feel free to call me a moron. But then watch time prove me right.

Water sent to California is NOT for growing almonds & alfalfa in the desert. The Central Valley where those items are grown, thanks to the very rich soil, comes from Northern CA. Lake Mead water is sent to Southern CA so that all the wealthy people can have huge, lush landscapes, pools and water fountains in the desert. It's also sent to the Imperial Valley in Southern CA to grow iceberg lettuce, leaf lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, cantaloupes, honeydews, dry bulb onions, processor onions, carrots, sweet corn, spinach, spring mix and watermelons. That's why you get get fresh food in the Las Vegas DESERT where all the casinos, hotels etc. use TONS of water - again in the DESERT, where you live in a glass house.

And another thing, lake Powell only has 30 more feet to drop before it becomes dead pool, which means no more water flowing into Lake Mead down stream. So your new straw only buys you maybe a couple more years until you run out of water too... Just say'n, not trying to rain on your parade.

Like the positivity However I'm afraid reality might get in the way Those other states will want water

What about after 20 years? I liked your video very informative, thank you.

Excellent and Informative.