Am I supposed to feel bad for people who moved to the desert and have no water or worse subsidize a farmer to grow high water usage crops like alfalfa so they don't lose their antiquated water rights? Honestly, two of the fastest growing areas in the US is Las Vegas and Phoenix neither of which have their own water to me this is probably one of the dumbest moves I've ever seen. Are we as a country/society supposed to fix this or do we just say, wow that was a dumb fucking move I suggest you check out Des Moines?
Las Vegas is actually very efficient. The city's water infrastructure is well built, and sustainable.
More over... It's simply not the problem either - cities never are.
Cities need water for individuals - ablutions and drinking, some light industry. The amount they use pales in comparison to what farmers and livestock will go through, and the volume and type of effluent produced, as well as contamination risk.
All of the food consumed anywhere has to get shipped in because of globalization... Because that's the most efficient thing. And golf courses only use 4 acre feet of water for each acre of golf course. In the grand scheme of half a million acre feet of water that Vegas takes from Lake Mead, it sure is efficient given how worried it makes people who don't even live there.
