Las Vegas water usage could impact Arizona’s future

We’ve all heard the phrase “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,” but what happens when it doesn’t? What happens when the city upriver is facing a possible water crisis itself?

According to Slate, Sin City uses more water than almost any city in the nation.

Las Vegas is currently pursuing means to control its usage. The current trend is to consume more before consuming less, as the city urges developers to build more efficient homes to help meet its goal of 199 gallons of water used per person per day by 2035.

That may not bode well for Arizona and California, both of which are in droughts and both of which are downstream on the Colorado River. Hence, the more water Vegas takes, the less there is for Arizona.

But a positive could come out of the drain: The possible dry conditions could force the states to reach a deal on the river, as different states will bear the burden in different ways.