Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025 | 3:34 p.m.
Nevada will receive millions for expanding water infrastructure operations in the fight against the ongoing drought from a package the White House announced on Tuesday.
U.S. Rep Dina Titus, D-Nev., said the package included “multiple wins” for the state.
The Water Resources Development Act, passed by Congress last month and signed into law, includes $49 million for water infrastructure projects in Pahrump and Laughlin, and Nye and Storey counties.
“Water will always be top of mind,” Titus said. “We got some things accomplished last time for water, but it’s still going to be an increasing problem of drought in the Southwest.”
The act will bring $10 million to Nye County water wellfield and pipeline, and an additional $4 million for water and wastewater directly in Pahrump, the office of U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., said. Horsford, whose congressional district represents Nye County, voted in favor of the legislation.
Storey County is receiving $10 million for wastewater infrastructure. Additionally, the funds will allow for the Truckee River Flood Management Authority to execute its flood protection plan and provide ecosystem restoration benefits on the Truckee River.
The legislation will also bring an additional $20 million in annual funding to operate the Las Vegas Wash, the valley’s primary drainage channel that carries around 200 million gallons of water daily to Lake Mead. The legislation increases the authorization ceiling for $40 million to $60 million.
Southern Nevada is among a small number of places to recycle indoor water on “a community-wide scale,” according to the Southern Nevada Water Authority. Among all the water from the authority used indoors, 99% is recycled, and the Wash is an integral component of that.
“No one knows better than a Nevadan just how precious our water is,” said Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nev., in a statement. “That’s why I made securing water infrastructure investments for Laughlin and the Las Vegas Wash my top priorities for the bipartisan Water Resources Development Act of 2024.” Lee is vice chair of the Colorado River Caucus.
The package included the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration’s first formal reauthorization in 20 years. The administration, which dates to 1965, works to lead programs related to public works and infrastructure, job creation and disaster recovery.
When Congress agreed to reauthorize the Economic Development Administration last month, Titus said in a statement she was eager to “recognize the importance of tourism and outdoor recreation for economic development.”
The law is part of a push from the Biden administration in its final days to address environmental issues.
The Department of the Interior on Tuesday announced the authorization of 21 projects — over $41 million — from the president’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to improve water resources and support communities facing drought and other climate change impacts, it said in a news release.
The Southern Nevada Water Authority will receive nearly $2 million for a pair of projects, the interior said.
The bulk of the funding, about $1.5 million, will be used by the authority to restore 10 acres of riparian zone, or land that occurs along the edges of bodies of water, and protect additional habitat from drought impacts at the Warm Springs Natural Area. The area contains more than two dozen springs forming the headwaters of the Muddy River, the water authority said.
The rest of the funds will go to another project for the Las Vegas Wash, with the goal of revegetating and restoring 12.7 acres of wetland and riparian areas in the Clark County Wetlands Park, which is a protected natural area along the wash.
“The projects selected are working through a collaborative process to achieve nature-based solutions for the health of our watersheds and river ecosystems to increase drought resiliency,” Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton said in a statement.