What\u27s swimming in my glass? The debate over the Southern Nevada Water Authority\u27s use of the return flow credit policy

Currently the Southern Nevada Water Authority uses an existing federal policy of return flow credits to divert water from Lake Mead above the annual allocation authorized by the Colorado River System Water Use Agreement. Credits obtained by the return of treated effluent allow water officials to divert as much Colorado River water as is needed to sustain current growth and development here in southern Nevada. Some in the community believe that this is a prudent use of a valuable resource; others that it is a means to justify the over-consumption of water and is altering the watershed in potentially harmful ways. This thesis will discuss this issue and the concept of \u27civic environmentalism.\u27 What I call A-I-D (assess-involve-develop) is offered as a new ethic for creating a more sustainable environmental policy. But equally important, is the need to politically engage this growing community in the policymaking process