If the Hoover Dam becomes inoperable, the entire Southwest US is in trouble. It provides water for farms and power, both mostly in California. Las Vegas would actually be the last to feel the effects of Lake Mead drying up because they’ve installed a deeper “straw” to draw water from, along with a pumping station.
There’s a lot of farming being done right in the US Southwest now that’s only profitable because the water is massively subsidized. The first thing to do is to make them pay something closer to the real cost. Nobody should be growing rice, cotton or almonds in the Central Valley. That’s just burning public money and squandering a scarce resource. If they can’t figure out a more suitable alternative crop, let 'em go bust.
As for A/C, it’s a lousy, wasteful solution to hot climates compared to passive construction, insulation, heat pumps and other technologies (some very old). But anyone in Vegas with a pool or lawn needs some immediate education. And I’d be reluctant to encourage people to live in places like that when there are more temperate places they could live in if they wanted to.
If the Hoover Dam becomes inoperable, the entire Southwest US is in trouble. It provides water for farms and power, both mostly in California. Las Vegas would actually be the last to feel the effects of Lake Mead drying up because they’ve installed a deeper “straw” to draw water from, along with a pumping station.
https://www.snwa.com/where-southern-nevada-gets-its-water/our-regional-water-system/intake-no-3.html
There’s a lot of farming being done right in the US Southwest now that’s only profitable because the water is massively subsidized. The first thing to do is to make them pay something closer to the real cost. Nobody should be growing rice, cotton or almonds in the Central Valley. That’s just burning public money and squandering a scarce resource. If they can’t figure out a more suitable alternative crop, let 'em go bust.
As for A/C, it’s a lousy, wasteful solution to hot climates compared to passive construction, insulation, heat pumps and other technologies (some very old). But anyone in Vegas with a pool or lawn needs some immediate education. And I’d be reluctant to encourage people to live in places like that when there are more temperate places they could live in if they wanted to.