Mulroy warned that slowing or stopping home construction could harm the region's economy. "To say you can just cut it all off is naive," she said. "The issue is not whether we grow, but how we grow."
For now, she is preaching the urgent need for water conservation. And for the first time, it appears that message is taking hold.
The gateway at Promontory, part of the Las Vegas development called Summerlin, features a converted fountain. A Photo held shows the fountain when it had water. Conservation measures during the drought prohibit decorative fountains outside the tourist corridor.
(Steve Marcus For The Washington Post)
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Last year, after doubling their offer for turf, water officials hastily had to add $8 million to the rebate program to accommodate the number of residents volunteering to give up grass in their yards. Every square foot removed saves about 80 gallons of water a year.
Developers are responding to the emerging crisis, too. Some have started building homes on smaller lots, which lessens the need for landscaping -- the main drain on the local water supply. Others have restricted the size of swimming pools or have stopped planting grass along sidewalks and medians.
At Summerlin, which eventually will include 64,000 homes, residents have to comply with an array of new water-saving edicts. Grass is banned in front yards and restricted in back yards. Only trees and shrubs suited for desert climates can be planted. And plans for golf courses are being scaled back -- in part because managers at Summerlin have discovered that most residents who want to live beside beautiful fairways do not play the game. They just like the view.
Now, in some areas they will have to learn to love looking at desert rocks and plants instead.
"People are really waking up on this issue," Warden said.
The consequences of Las Vegas declaring a drought emergency are not yet clear. But they are bound to be severe.
Water rates may be raised again, and more restrictions may be imposed on lawns, golf courses and the use of sprinklers. Some residents sound panicked; they fear they could eventually be required to use plastic plants in their yards.
"We're the first urban community in the West that has to come to grips with these questions," Mulroy said.
Hal Bloch, a retired corporate executive, is among the homeowners at Summerlin ready for change. He moved to Las Vegas from Pittsburgh in 1996 and had grass in his yard. Earlier this year, he decided to help the city save water by pulling up all of it. He was rewarded with nearly a $1,000 rebate.
But he said friends and neighbors are divided on the issue. Some are showing new interest in conservation, but some are still skeptical of the need for it.
"They say, 'If it's really as bad as everyone is portraying it, why are they continuing to hook up homes willy-nilly?' " Bloch said.
One other old and formidable obstacle, he said, might prevent Las Vegas from saving more water.
"Some people here," Bloch said, "just don't like the desert look."
