'As the population grew and grew and grew, we used more and more water,' Hiatt said. RELATED: Draining Las Vegas: Here is who's using the most water in the valley So plentiful, Hiatt said, that 'water would actually spurt up out of the ground, sometimes as much as 20 feet high.' Would not exist,' he said.Д«ig Spring was one of many nearby springs tapped by early settlers at a time when water in Las Vegas was plentiful. 'Without this source of water, Las Vegas would not be. For nearly three decades, he's worked to protect open spaces in Southern Nevada.ДЄpproximately 4,000 gallons of water per minute flowed from Big Spring downhill and out to the north of what is now downtown Las Vegas, Hiatt explained. This is what was the origin of Las Vegas if you will,' said John Hiatt, who serves on a Citizens' Advisory Board for the Southern Nevada Water Authority. But as we would soon realize, the water from the springs and the meadow that was Las Vegas would soon not be enough to sustain a bustling metropolis. Early settlers discovered springs here in the middle of the desert, providing the most basic element - water - coming from runoff from the Spring Mountains and Mt.

Springs Preserve is considered by many to be the birthplace of Las Vegas. RELATED: Meadows to Metropolis, the story of Las VegasДЎ3 Investigates examines how we got here and finds out how officials are planning for our future. When 2022 rings in, the federal water shortage declaration will cut our supply by about 7 billion gallons. LAS VEGAS (KTNV) - 13 Action News is launching a newsroom-wide initiative called Meadows to Metropolis examining all the impacts of our explosive growth.

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