SIGNED: Cortez Masto’s Bill to Protect the Water Supply for More Than One Million Nevadans

Washington, D.C. - President Trump signed into law U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto's (D-Nev.) legislation to allow the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) to construct a new water pipeline to provide water delivery redundancy for over one million Nevadans. The Sloan Canyon Conservation and Lateral Water Pipeline Act will dramatically improve the reliability of Las Vegas's water system and protect residents from outages, while safeguarding ecosystems in Sloan Canyon. The bill also expands the Sloan Canyon National Conservation (NCA) area by nearly 9,300 acres - increasing its size by nearly 20 percent.

"In Las Vegas, nearly three million people all currently rely on just one pipeline," said Senator Cortez Masto. "That's a dangerous situation in which one system failure could cut off the water supply for close to 40 percent of Las Vegas residents and businesses. This law will increase the reliability of Southern Nevada's water supply for generations to come."

After years of study and engagement with valley stakeholders, SNWA determined the safest, most effective, and least disruptive route for the Horizon Lateral would be via an underground pipeline below the Sloan Canyon NCA, as opposed to constructing it through the City of Henderson. This route saves ratepayers $200 million, minimizes disturbances to both Henderson residents and the land in Sloan Canyon.

Read the full bill here.

Senator Cortez Masto has been a leader working to support conservation efforts and combat drought. As part of the Great American Outdoors Act, she secured permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). Cortez Masto fought to deliver $4 billion to combat drought in the states bordering the Colorado River in the Inflation Reduction Act and helped pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which will continue to make a historic amount of funding available for water and wastewater infrastructure improvements across the country over five years.

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