The Alliance for Water Efficiency's Annual Member Meeting, to be held Oct. 5 at the South Point Hotel in Las Vegas, will feature Andy Belanger, director of public services for the Las Vegas Valley Water District and Southern Nevada Water Authority as a keynote speaker. The Public Services Department is responsible for communicating the organization’s goals and initiatives to the community, educating the public about water issues, coordinating public participation, and leading government affairs activities.

For more than 20 years, Southern Nevada has addressed impacts from a devastating drought by focusing on conservation and the removal of turf within the Las Vegas Valley. The recent passage of Assembly Bill 356 during the 2021 Nevada Legislative Session will accelerate the removal of turf by restricting the use of Colorado River water to irrigate nonfunctional turf by 2027. This enhanced conservation measure will reduce the amount of water wasted on unutilized turf, and ultimately assist the Southern Nevada Water Authority in maintaining reliable water supplies for over two million residents and the millions of visitors to the region each year.

Belanger has held various positions in public services since 1997 and was appointed director in 2014. Throughout his professional career, he has been involved in several community outreach efforts for the District and Authority, including the quarter-cent sales tax, the Groundwater Management Program, the integrated water planning process, and efforts to remove nonfunctional turf throughout Southern Nevada. Additionally, Belanger has served as a lobbyist at the Nevada State Legislature since 2001, and also serves as vice chair on the State Board for Financing Water Projects.

Belanger graduated magna cum laude from the Honors College at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas with a Bachelor’s degree in political science and has a Master’s degree in the same field. In addition to his academic degrees, he holds a certificate in public participation from the International Association of Public Participation.