Urban Pressure
The Springs Preserve, once the site of natural
springs bubbling to the surface, is now
surrounded by urban development.
1952 to present
Southern Nevada's population increased to 41,000 by 1950. Groundwater use increased to 35,000 acre feet per year, exceeding nature's ability to recharge the groundwater aquifer naturally.
Residents still relied mainly on groundwater. The Nevada Legislature agreed to create the public Las Vegas Valley Water District in 1947 to minimize the decline of groundwater due to overpumping.
The legislature also wanted to import Colorado River water from Lake Mead to the valley. The new Water District purchased the Union Pacific Railroad's Las Vegas Land and Water Company in 1953 and began official operations in 1954.
The Springs Stop Flowing
By 1960, residents had drilled nearly 3,000 wells in the Las Vegas Valley. However, more than half of the groundwater came from less than 25 wells located within a mile of the Las Vegas Springs.
By then, the population had increased to approximately 119,000. Increased well water use caused the groundwater level to decline about two to four feet per year.
The Las Vegas Springs flows, once a hallmark of the valley's geography, stopped altogether by 1962.
Colorado River Water
With declining groundwater levels and a growing population, Southern Nevada needed to tap into additional water supplies. The state had rights to 300,000 acre feet of Colorado River water, but it did not have a water treatment and delivery system in order to use its annual allocation.
In 1968, the state and federal government began constructing the Southern Nevada Water System. Nevada was not financially prepared to take on such an expensive project, so the federal Colorado River Commission (CRC) entered into an agreement with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to build part of the new system as a federal water project.
The Southern Nevada Water System began treating and delivering water to the Las Vegas Valley Water District and other customers in July 1971.
Protecting the Las Vegas Springs
In the 1970s, the springs came close to being paved over by the transportation department's plans for an expressway. Dr. Claude Warren of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas conducted an archaeological survey in 1972 that found long-term human occupation of the site.
His discoveries helped reroute the new Oran K. Gragson Expressway (US 95) around the site. Concerned citizens and the Las Vegas Valley Water District petitioned to add the springs to the National Register for Historic Places.
Under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the Las Vegas Springs were designated an archaeological site and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. To further preserve the historic site, the Water District Board of Directors approved a plan in 1997 to develop a preserve to protect and manage the cultural, natural and water resources of the site. The Springs Preserve opened in June 2007.
A team of researchers continues the work of others to learn more about the history and habitat of this special place.
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