April 2007 – Water in the Arid West: Moving from Mark Twain to the Realities of Climate Change
Pat Mulroy
General Manager, Las Vegas Valley Water District and Southern Nevada Water Authority
The relationships between neighbors and neighboring states in the arid west have always
been defined by the paradigm memorialized by Mark Twain: "Whiskey is for drinking, and
water is for fighting over." Those were the days when there could be winners and losers; an era
when there was enough water that it could be rigidly divided and watersheds could be managed in
subdivided parts. Recently the National Research Council released their assessment on the state of
Colorado River resources which dramatically reduced the amount of water flowing through that river
under normal conditions, and warned about the effects of climate change on this critical river system.
It went on to assert that relationships between states had to change if we are to survive within this
new reality. Are we, as a river community, up to the challenge? What are some of the essential
ingredients to successfully meet this challenge? What are the consequences of failure?
Pat Mulroy oversees the operations of the Las Vegas Valley Water District, which serves more than
300,000 customers, and the Southern Nevada Water Authority, which is responsible for acquiring,
treating and delivering water to local agencies that collectively serve 1.8 million residents and nearly
40 million annual visitors. Mulroy joined the District more than 20 years ago and began serving as
its general manager in 1989. She was a principal architect of the Authority, which has served as a
model for other Western water agencies since its creation 15 years ago.
As general manager of one of the country's most progressive water agencies, Mulroy is exceptionally
active in regional and national water issues. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the
Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies and the National Water Resources Association, and is a
member of the American Water Works Association. Additionally, she was the original chairperson of
the Western Urban Water Coalition and served on the Colorado River Water Users Association's
Board of Directors.
Watch it here: Part 1
; Part 2
; Part 3
; Part 4
Announcement (48K pdf)
Download the audio file (8M DSS file)
Get a free DSS player: free audio player (2M exe)
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