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LasVegasVolfey's Water Supply Dwindling, Report By ED PHILLIPS Like old mother-Hubbard’s cupboard Las Vegas valley’s water supply is getting bare. A search of the records and information supplied by Harry Jameson, well supervisor for Las Vegas valley in the state' engineer’s office and geological survey, re +hp vealed today that the water table in this area was dropped nearly two feet during the last year. At first glance this d e c l i n e may not seem ?too'serious, but records reveal­ed that in 1924 water could be found just five .... feet below the surface of g r o u n d and Jameson n o w w e l l s must go.over 45 to hit the avail- I able supply. There are many reasons.fpr the dwindling water pool, the major ] of which is the tremendous in­crease in population during the last 25 years. In 1924, the' first! year records were kept, the num- j her of people in the valley totaled j 3,500 and used-water at the rate; of 20 million gallons a day. To-j day the estimated population is. near thev'f^Qg. mark and is soak-J ing u^stlfep^cipus liquid at a | 31 m i a day. | Y In- aaj^^m^p'the “increase- ini populatibnhhp^’oblem, j Lthe area [ has hacHse'yeral yeaysjbf. sparse! rain and^shbwfall.' ^J^pome 400 i wells and eating into the Jjiibf&ranean lakef which lies under tKe valley flopr. “ If we consider the 1941 rain­fall as normal, thed this winter’|' precipitation is 48 per cent abovli the’1 "average,”.;-- JameSdh 1 said'.; “However, it may take as long 1 as three years for this increased. .-Potential supply to soak down through the ground and into the undersurface rivers, thence into tlie- valley’s water basin,” Jame­son added. All the wells ir&fte.Vegas val­ley are considered K b p artesian, even though theyfafe hot of the free-flpw j,typ^?^^iall ®se|| water about the mark !“ hej .?: v.i.iCj if found. In other WdSffapji a well sunk to a depth? of,;-4l>j^ » . , aPd finding water, th l will rise perh£^^p8H B|ti<#t mark and pum pih ^ ^ p^ > ^ . required, but becaiise^Htme - is;-,a constant pressure, in the underground re­serve such wells are called ar­tesian in type. There is no immediate danger of a water shortage but hope is held that the backlog of water will be built up in the valley by a series of- wet years, so there J will be plenty of reserve to take care of a . growing Has Vegas { valley population. .....