‘Essential’ water bill passes House; here’s how Laughlin, Las Vegas could benefit

A routine reauthorization of federal funds may give Nevada’s water infrastructure a needed boost.

Every other year since 2014, Congress has considered the Water Resource Development Act, taking stock of what is working and what needs to change when it comes to developing a stable water supply for the future.

It allows lawmakers to advocate for more money on behalf of their state — and two Nevada congresswomen have done just that now that the House of Representatives passed the bill Monday on a vote of 359 to 13. Next, it’ll need to go through the U.S. Senate and then to the president.

Reps. Susie Lee and Dina Titus, D-Nev., separately pushed amendments through with Nevada in mind.

Lee helped secure $29 million in U.S. Army Corps of Engineers money for the Big Bend Water District in Laughlin, a Clark County town that has seen poor water storage as a limit to urban growth despite being located along the Colorado River.

“No one knows better than a Nevadan just how precious our water resources are,” Lee said in a statement. “I look forward to getting this bipartisan legislation to the President’s desk so we can tackle the ongoing effects of drought and protect our water supply across southern Nevada.”

Another Nevada-specific provision would benefit the Las Vegas Wash, which carries 200 million gallons of treated wastewater and storm runoff back to Lake Mead every day. The program overseeing the wash could see a $20 million increase in federal funds if the bill is signed into law, which Lee and Titus both supported.

Southern Nevada’s wastewater treatment, of which the wash is a major component, allows for almost every drop of water used indoors to be recycled and used again.

In addition to an amendment reauthorizing the National Dam Safety Program that monitors the condition of aging dams across the country, a Titus amendment would allow the Army Corps to work on a “emergency drought operations pilot program” to allow the agency to be flexible about its plans for water control during drought.

“We appreciate Congresswoman Titus’s efforts to ensure … the funding capability to advance environmental restoration efforts of the Las Vegas Wash, which will protect water quality and our water supply,” Zane Marshall, the Southern Nevada Water Authority’s director of water resources, said in a statement.

Contact Alan at ahalaly@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlanHalaly on X.