Vegas definitely has water issues. Most houses here have desert landscaping instead of grass lawns, since watering lawns consumes a lot of water. By using local plants you can create a nice looking xeriscape that doesn't take much water to maintain. This is how my house is landscaped on all sides.
The kids and I went to the new Springs Preserve today, which had modern exhibits on water conservation, recycling, and sustainable living. It said if the city's growth rate continues, it will overrun the available water supply, which creates pressure to limit new residential development or to press for more conservation measures. Supposedly the hotels/casinos use only 10% of the water, but I think that's misleading, since the casino industry fuels much of the residential growth. Many people come here looking for casino/hotel jobs.
The best thing anyone can do to conserve water, however, is simply to forgo animal products. Cut just one pound of beef from your diet, and you save 2,500 gallons of water. That's as much water as you'd save by skipping your next 250 showers (assuming you shower for 5 minutes, 2 gals/min), and you'll surely smell a lot better. If you go vegan or vegetarian, even for just a few days, you will literally save tons and tons of water.
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