Experts say changes must be made for the Silver State’s population to be able to keep growing.
Nevada’s rapidly growing population has reached a critical intersection with the region’s worsening water crisis, according to experts.
The Census Bureau identified the Silver State as sixth in the nation for population growth last year. At the same time, water levels in the Colorado River continue to dwindle, and the state’s urban expansion adds to decades of severe drought.
Some analysts say the urban growth trend is unsustainable amid increasingly unpredictable water levels in the river, which supplies water for the majority of the state’s population.
However, some believe existing water supplies could support Nevada’s burgeoning populace if adjustments are made.
In its 2025 water resource plan, the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) noted that it’s unlikely the Colorado River will experience “near-normal hydrologic conditions” in the foreseeable future, while the probability of water shortages will remain high for years.
The SNWA outlined mandatory water use reductions based on the projected water level in Lake Mead, one of two critical reservoirs on the Colorado River that provides water to surrounding states.
Nevada, especially the southern portion, receives upwards of 90 percent of its water from Lake Mead.
Under the Drought Contingency Plan signed in 2019 by seven states in the Colorado River basin, Nevada’s obligation to conserve water begins when the surface level of the reservoir is at or below 1,090 feet. As of June 8, Lake Mead’s water level stood at 1,056 feet, according to the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation.
Concurrently, housing and rental units can’t keep up with Nevada’s decades-long population boom.
Researchers from the University of Nevada Las Vegas noted the state experienced a 31.8 percent population growth between 2000 and 2010. Between 2011 and 2016, the population expanded another 8.5 percent.
Nevada is the only state in the union that has experienced a 25 percent or more population growth rate over the last three decades, according to university researchers.
Residents from states such as California are drawn to Nevada by the comparatively cheap housing costs. Others are attracted to the state’s lack of state income tax, abundant recreation opportunities, and robust job market.
The demand for housing has also pushed prices higher. Real estate website Zillow lists the average home value in Nevada as $454,694, representing a 2.6 percent increase from last year.
Amid the ongoing housing bonanza, some Nevada residents say the current water crisis isn’t being taken as seriously as it should be.
