He and other residents have become experts at using just half the water of the average American, or about 44 gallons. Trujillo said the community is no stranger to watering restrictions as drought has long been part of life in northern New Mexico. “I mean what else could possibly happen?” asked Las Vegas Mayor Louie Trujillo, not wanting to tempt fate. Hundreds of homes were destroyed and livelihoods lost.Īmid an undercurrent of heartbreak and anger, residents are feeling the sting yet again as their water supply dwindles as a result and the pressures of climate change show no signs of letting up. They watched from a distance as an area larger than Los Angeles was devoured by a conflagration sparked by the federal government when two planned burns meant to reduce the threat of wildfire went awry due to a combination of human error and outdated modeling that didn't account for extreme weather. It was just months earlier that thousands of residents from Las Vegas and dozens of surrounding mountain villages were forced to pack up their belongings, load their livestock into trailers and flee as the wildfire raged, fueled by unprecedented hot, dry winds.
“It is disheartening to our families and our children to not know that they may not have water in a month from now,” said Leo Maestas, the city manager. The three universities that call Las Vegas home are coming up with conservation plans as the school year kicks off. Restaurants are worried they may have to cut back on serving their signature red and green chile dishes. Residents are showering with buckets in hopes of salvaging extra water for other uses. It has less than 30 days of drinking water left.Įvents have been canceled in an effort to discourage more people from coming to town. The clock is ticking for Las Vegas, a college town and economic hub for ranchers and farmers who have called this rural expanse of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range home for generations. Workers have dug trenches and built barriers to help keep the flood of muddy, ash-laden runoff from causing more damage so it won't further contaminate the drinking water supply for the community of more than 10,000 that sits at the edge of the forest. Heavy equipment operators are moving boulders dislodged by the daily torrential summer rains that have followed the flames. Crews are hustling to remove charred trees and other debris that have been washing down the mountainsides in the wake of the largest wildfire in New Mexico's recorded history, choking rivers and streams. (AP) - In the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, buzzing chainsaws interrupt the serenity.
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