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Las Vegas has signaled interest in buying San Diego’s desalination water, the latest development in what will surely be a complex agreement permitting cities to trade water over state lines.

Last week, the board of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, which provides water to the Las Vegas metropolitan area, officially signaled it wants to talk interstate water transfers by signing onto a memorandum of understanding proposed by the San Diego County Water Authority. San Diego is keen to sell off water it doesn’t need but is obligated to buy, like de-salted ocean water from a desalination plant in Carlsbad.

Lake Mead is projected to hit an all-time low by summer 2027, according to new projections released by federal authorities.

The reservoir is forecast to drop to 1,020 feet in July 2027, 20 feet lower than its previous record low of 1,040 feet in July 2022. That year, long-sunken boats and once-submerged rocks emerged from the water.

San Diego County has long been known as a place that solves hard problems with innovation – and our region’s approach to water is no exception.

While much of the West grapples with drought and water insecurity, our region spent decades preparing and investing for a dry future. That strategy is now paying off in new ways: In the past few weeks, the San Diego County Water Authority approved two landmark water‑transfer partnerships that not only help our neighbors but also deliver real financial benefits for local ratepayers.

The new data center proposed for a quiet city about 115 miles east of San Diego came across people’s radars in different ways.

For patrons of the deli on West Aten Road, it was the white “Not In My Backyard” signs jutting out of lawns. For local irrigation district workers, it was something called an “electric service application.”

Lake Hodges is a San Diego landmark where people hike, bike, fish, kayak, canoe, bird watch and take photographs against the backdrop of a century-old, city-owned reservoir.

It’s also a disaster waiting to happen.  The question is whether calamity would come by flood or by fire.