upr000341 213

Facing a critical water shortage in the Las Vegas val­ley during the coming two months, the Las Vegas Land and Water company today, petitioned the public service commission for authority to deny water service to any new -prospective water users, in the area after August 15 The application asks for a p - --------- - ' ? •• • ' ~ — s f proval of two changes in the re­gulations! - : 1— The com pany will make no extension of its mains to pro­vide water service in the areas of the city of Las Vegas not theretofore . served by water m a in s' of the com pany subse­quent to August 15, 1951, unless a contract for such extension of m ains....shall have been enter­ed into prior to August 15, 1951; 0—The company will make no new connections for water service to any dom estic com­mercial, or industrial estab­lishment after September 1, 1951, unless application shall have been made to the com- ; pany prior to September 1, j 1951. No such application shall be accepted unless such es­tablishment is completed or under construction on Septenx- ! ber 1, 1951. In support of the application the com pany points out'that, th e , sole source of water for the val­ley is the underground flow and that this source is rapidly being, depleted, mainly because of a ! lack of snowfall in the moun­tains. The company also calls at­tention to the fact that the 8 population of the area has in­creased more than 20 percent during the last five years and that a resultant rapid., rise in the consummation of water has been noted. As a result, the com pany says, there is a prospect of a serious water shortage in the very near future and every possible cur­tailment of water use should be placed in effect im mediately. The company requests that the changes in regulation., be made an em ergency order of the pub­lic service com m ission, and that they go into effect immediately without a public hearing being held.