The Grass Doctor

Why does Las Vegas waste so much water so they can have a green lawn in the middle of a desert?

Why can't they have their lawns look like what they should natural look like, as the people from Tuscon do, and give their water to the people who really need it or back to the Colorado river?

Public Comments

1. some people are not as bright as some others, sometimes people are just selfish
2. Welcome to the Western mentality. For over two centuries now, we have attempted to tame the West without realized it has limits. It is all about man conquering nature out here. Las Vegas is such an extravagant city that they are beyond all reason with regards to their water use. Water is becoming such a scarce commodity here in the West that I wouldn't doubt if water wars become very violent in the not so distant future.
3. Because they are not charged the true cost of the water they are wasting. In other words, money.
4. Yeah..it is pretty ridiculous and it is NOT just Las Vegas...lots of people keep green lawns year round in drought ridden places.
5. The premise of your question is not true. Most homeowners are not allowed to even plan lawns. Most homes have either desert landscaping (mostly rocks) or fake grass (synthetic turf). If you drive around the city, you will see this for yourself. Try going to the top of a building (like the Stratosphere) and you will see a brown landscape. While the city landscape is not as dry as Tucson, it certainly uses less water per person that most cities of its size. The only major areas of green grass are in the golf courses. If you want an accurate example of a green oasis in the dessert, look to Phoenix or Palm Springs. By the way, around 70% of the water from the Colorado River is used for agriculture, so I don't think it's fair to say that using the remaining water to support 20 million people in the Southwest is a waste.
6. For tourism as it equates to money. No one wants to toss their money away in the middle of the Sahara Desert.