It is no secret that the western portion of the country is experiencing severe drought conditions. The city of Las Vegas is no exception. But, there are resorts on the strip that say what appears to be a misuse of valuable water is actually an illusion.

According to Associated Press reporting, MGM Resorts International has focused on water conservation since 2008. And since that time, 2 billion gallons of water - equal to the amount of water that spills over Niagara Falls in four hours - has been saved.

The company's Bellagio fountain show and Cirque du Soleil's indoor water-show “O” use on-site recycled well water, while the Aria resort's outdoor wall of water wastes less than a residential pool. MGM Resorts International has 15 properties along the Las Vegas Strip, and according to reports, all of them combined use less water annually than the company's 52,000 employees, based on average residential use, although the company wouldn't say how much water it uses.

Although the resorts do report water savings, conservationists fear the perception of excess that exudes off the Las Vegas strip is hurting the overall conservation cause. Officials commented that the drought represents an unpleasant reality. Fortunately, it is one that the resorts have not ignored.

The Associated Press reports that many of the hotels on the strip, including those owned by MGM, have installed low-flow fixtures in the restrooms and implemented towel/sheet reuse programs to reduce the quantity of daily laundry. Despite the water fixtures outside, guests to sin city are being exposed to some water-saving measures.

Although the hotels are working behind to scenes to reduce their environmental impact, not everyone believes they are doing enough. There are ongoing meetings of the Nevada Drought Forum to review the state's water use and recommend policy changes by inviting stakeholders to talk about how the drought has affected them.

According to reports, Las Vegas area resorts use 7.6 percent of southern Nevada's water according to the Southern Nevada Water Authority. Nearly 60 percent of the state's water is used by single-family and multi-family homes.

Shallow salty groundwater sits below properties on the Strip, largely what's left after irrigation water on surrounding lawns sinks below ground and would otherwise build up and need to be pumped out if not for the water features, said Dale Devitt, director of the Center for Urban Water Conservation at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, reached after the meeting.

"They use a lot of water, but I think they've made incredible strides to conserve," he said of the area's resorts. Also, the Strip can't just turn off the sprinklers to its golf courses or drain its pools. We are a resort destination. Our economy is based on that."

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