“I know that California has got a nightmare on [its] hands right now,” says Pat Mulroy, former general manager for the Southern Nevada Water Authority and now a Brookings nonresident senior fellow, in this podcast taped just as California announced statewide water restrictions. Mulroy, who has been called “the water empress of Vegas,” discusses a path forward in California’s crisis; explains why criticizing the Bellagio fountain’s water use is misplaced; reflects on how she got into the water business in the first place; and offers insights from her experience on how communities can cooperate on water issues.

“We in this country have no idea how fortunate we are,” she says. “We are a small minority around the world that actually has reliable 24/7 water.”

(Hoover Dam photo by Sareen Hairabedian)

Show Notes:

• Video about Pat Mulroy (YouTube)
• Longtime Vegas water czar warns other cities to brace for climate change
• Pat Mulroy’s bio at UNLV’s Boyd School of Law

Subscribe to the Brookings Cafeteria on iTunes, listen on Stitcher, and send feedback email to [email protected].