North Las Vegas staff warn of low reservoir levels, outline conservation tools and proposed landscape rebate topper

Amanda Dillard, Conservation and Sustainability Administrator for the City of North Las Vegas, gave an update on Colorado River basin conditions, Lake Mead reservoir status and local conservation work.

“For the reservoir status as of 03/10/2025, Lake Powell is at 34%, Lake Mead at 35%, and a total system content at 41%,” Dillard said, and she reported Lake Mead’s elevation as 1,067.99 feet. Dillard said the forecasted inflow to Lake Powell for the 2025 water year is about 71% of average, basin snowpack was about 91% of average, and precipitation for the water year was about 93% of average. She described the Lower Basin as receiving substantially less than the Upper Basin in recent months.

Dillard described local water-use trends and enforcement results. She said wholesale purchase water trends follow an expected annual curve tied to irrigation and temperature. She told the board the city’s conservation team completed about 7.5 investigations per 1,000 customers in 2024 (a combined measure of field and meter-data investigations), and that North Las Vegas exceeded the regional average in 11 of 12 months.

Dillard described a proposed $2 “topper” the city would seek to add to the existing SNWA $3 landscape-rebate as part of a turf-conversion program. In one slide she described the topper as for “all of our water customers in our water service area … and this is only for residential properties.” Later in the Q&A she said the city intends to seek award of the grant in October with the intent to start the program the following January and stated the city would be able to “provide that $2 topper for nonresidential customers for their turf conversions up to $2,000.” The presentation did not resolve that apparent difference in target (residential vs. nonresidential) and staff said they would pursue grant award and return with details.

Dillard outlined technology and outreach improvements including an automated appeal system for enforcement, plans to integrate a water-conservation element into an existing city code-enforcement app, and longer-term work with IT on a mobile application and website improvements to accept photo- and video-based water-waste reports. She also said staff have been pursuing local training with SNWA and the Southern Nevada Irrigation Association.

A board member asked whether the city performs groundwater recharge; Dillard said the city does not conduct groundwater recharge and that Southern Nevada Water Authority is the lead for recharge programs. The board requested additional data on groundwater pumping and recharge, and staff offered to provide that information at a future meeting.

Dillard’s presentation was for discussion only; no board action was taken.