A team of nearly two dozen water investigators patrols Las Vegas neighborhoods daily to identify and document water waste, including misaligned sprinklers and runoff into gutters. Investigators record violations and issue citations as part of enforcement. Las Vegas depends on Colorado River water shared by seven states, and river levels have fallen amid prolonged drought worsened by climate change. The Southern Nevada Water Authority began formal conservation and patrol efforts in 2003 and has conducted nearly half a million water-waste investigations since. The authority reports that enforcement measures, including fines, have helped reduce wasted water in the drought-affected region.
Devyn Choltko drives through a Las Vegas neighborhood with lights flashing on her patrol car. She stops when she sees water flowing down the street. Choltko is one of nearly two dozen investigators who patrol Las Vegas every day, looking for any signs of water waste. She records what she sees. DEVYN CHOLTKO: Water Waste Investigator 9393 - it is Wednesday, July 23, at 6:14 a.m. FERNANDEZ: In this case, a common issue - a spray and flow violation.
Las Vegas relies on water from the Colorado River, and so do millions of other people throughout the seven states that make up the Colorado River Basin. The river's levels have dropped over the years, and drought, exacerbated by climate change, has been constant for decades. BRONSON MACK: It's a drought, and it's a slow-moving type of natural disaster. FERNANDEZ: This is Bronson Mack.
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