Las Vegas Water Quality Guide: Colorado River Dependency

Las Vegas depends almost entirely on the Colorado River for its drinking water supply, drawn from Lake Mead through intake structures operated by the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA). Lake Mead, formed by Hoover Dam, provides water to over 2 million people in the Las Vegas Valley. The city holds rights to approximately 300,000 acre-feet of Colorado River water annually. With Lake Mead levels declining significantly due to extended drought, SNWA has constructed additional intake structures at lower elevations to ensure continued water access even as the reservoir drops.

SNWA operates two major water treatment facilities: the Alfred Merritt Smith Water Treatment Facility and the River Mountains Water Treatment Facility. Combined, these plants can treat over 900 million gallons daily. The treatment process includes ozonation for primary disinfection, coagulation and flocculation, sedimentation, filtration through anthracite and sand, and chloramine disinfection for distribution system residual. The facilities use state-of-the-art technology to ensure water quality despite the challenging source water conditions associated with Colorado River water.