Shining a Bright Light on Las Vegas Water Quality

Where Does the Las Vegas Water Supply Come From? 

Like many major cities in the southwestern United States, Las Vegas is smack in the middle of a desert. This presents Las Vegas — and the rest of southern Nevada — with some unique challenges when it comes to sourcing drinking water. These problems have been compounded by several severe droughts, the staggering population growth in Las Vegas, and the fact that their water sources have competition from other states and even parts of Mexico. 

In 1991, all of the local southern Nevada water suppliers got together and created the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA). 

The SNWA sources, treats, and delivers the water to local water suppliers including the Las Vegas Valley Water District (LVVWD), which is responsible for providing the 2.2 million residents of Las Vegas Valley with drinking water. The LVVWD also negotiates water rights with other cities and states who are competing for resources. 

The SNWA also develops conservation programs to protect the Las Vegas water supply, which comes mainly from two places:

Ninety percent is pumped out of Lake Mead, which is fed from the Colorado River and snowmelt from the Rocky Mountains. 

The other 10% comes from groundwater aquifers found beneath the Las Vegas Valley. This naturally replenished aquifer comes in handy in the busier months of the year.  

Does Las Vegas Have a Water Problem?

Las Vegas faces many challenges when it comes to its water. One of the biggest impediments to growth for Las Vegas is its water supply. As millions of people have flooded into this valley of lights, the water supplies needed to support everyone has been dwindling. The severe droughts in recent years haven’t helped the situation. 

As Lake Mead starts to dry up, not only have the crackdowns on water usage become more serious but the quality of water coming into your home has been threatened. Lower water levels means the concentration of contaminants in the water goes up. 

Las Vegas has been proactively trying to get ahead of Las Vegas water quality issues with conservation initiatives. They also recently completed a multi-year project to sink the water pumps deeper into the lake where the water is cleaner and less disturbed. 

How Is Las Vegas Water Quality?

To keep up with the federal requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act, every year, the city puts out the Las Vegas Water Quality Report. The report compares the level of contaminants in the tap water with the amounts deemed acceptable by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA). 

According to the most recent 2022 report, Las Vegas water meets or exceeds all legal standards and is considered safe to drink.

However, regulations don’t always match the most current science. According to the D.C.-based water watchdog — the Environmental Working Group (EWG) — water regulations are pretty far behind. The EPA, who sets the standards for Las Vegas Water Quality and the water quality of other city water suppliers, hasn’t updated its standards in almost 20 years. 

Many water contaminants that are currently recognized as problematic by the EPA  — like PFAS and microplastics — don’t even have required testing for them. And these are just a few of the thousands of man-made chemicals that aren’t tested for and have very little research done on them yet. 

Amongst the chemicals and contaminants that are tested for and regulated, there is a wide divide between what is legal and what modern science says is safe, according to EWG.

What Contaminants Are in Las Vegas, NV Water?

All tap water has a source. Usually this is groundwater or a surface water system like a lake or a river. This water can pick up many different contaminant types. These can include microbes like algae and viruses, minerals and metals like calcium and iron, volatile organic compounds like petroleum-based chemicals, pesticides and herbicides from farm runoff, and radioactive contaminants. 

Let’s look at the levels of some of these that negatively impact Las Vegas Water quality according to EWG. 

Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)

There are five haloacetic acids that make up HAA5: monochloroacetic acid, dichloroacetic acid, trichloroacetic acid, monobromoacetic acid, and dibromoacetic acid. These chemicals are known as disinfectant byproducts as they result from disinfectants like chlorine interacting with organic matter in water. Long-term exposure to HAA5 can lead to cancer. 

Levels of HAA5 in Las Vegas water have exceeded what the EWG recommends for safety by 246x:

• EPA maximum allowance: 60 parts per billion (ppb)
• EWG recommended maximum: 0.1 ppb
• Las Vegas maximum contaminant level: 24.6 ppb

Haloacetic Acids (HAA9)

HAA9 includes all of the contaminants from HAA5 but adds bromochloroacetic acid, bromodichloroacetic acid, chlorodibromoacetic acid, and tribromoacetic acid. These are also disinfectant byproducts and are also cancer-causing.

Levels of HAA9 in Las Vegas water have exceeded what the EWG recommends for safety by 721x:

• EPA maximum allowance: No legal limit
• EWG recommended maximum: 0.06 ppb
• Las Vegas maximum contaminant level: 43.2 ppb 

Total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs)

TTHMs — like the haloacetic acids above — are formed when chlorine interacts with organic compounds in drinking water. They’re also known to be carcinogenic. This category is made up of four chemicals: chloroform, bromodichloromethane, dibromochloromethane, and bromoform. 

Levels of TTHMs in Las Vegas water have exceeded what the EWG recommends for safety by 341x:

• EPA maximum allowance: 80 ppb
• EWG recommended maximum: 0.15 ppb
• Las Vegas maximum contaminant level: 51.2 ppb 

Chromium (Hexavalent)

Chromium is a common heavy metal contaminant often found in U.S. water supplies. It’s both naturally occurring and an industrial byproduct. Although it’s a known carcinogen, the EPA still doesn’t regulate it. 

Chromium levels in Las Vegas water have exceeded what the EWG recommends for safety by 10x:

• EPA maximum allowance: No legal limit
• EWG recommended maximum: 0.02 ppb
• Las Vegas maximum detected level: 0.204 ppb

Arsenic

Arsenic is carcinogenic and is known to cause damage to the brain, central nervous system, skin, and blood vessels. Arsenic is a common contaminant in U.S. public drinking water because it can occur naturally in groundwater. 

Arsenic levels in Las Vegas water have exceeded what the EWG recommends for safety by 445x:

• EPA maximum allowance: 10 ppb
• EWG recommended maximum: 0.004 ppb
• Las Vegas maximum detected level: 1.78 ppb

Nitrates

Nitrates are a fertilizer byproduct that usually get introduced into drinking water systems through storm water runoff and discharges from septic tanks/water treatment plants. Nitrates can inhibit oxygen intake by your blood cells and are especially dangerous to infants. Nitrates can also cause cancer. 

Nitrate levels in Las Vegas water have exceeded what the EWG recommends for safety by 13x:

• EPA maximum allowance: 10 parts per million (ppm) 
• EWG recommended maximum: 0.14 ppm
• Las Vegas maximum detected level: 1.82 ppm

Uranium

Uranium is a radioactive heavy metal found both in nature and as a byproduct of oil and gas production. Uranium is a known carcinogen. Legal limits for uranium are measured in picocuries per liter (pCi/L), which is a measure of radioactivity. 

Uranium levels in Las Vegas water have exceeded what the EWG recommends for safety by 3.3x:

• EPA maximum allowance: 20 pCi/L
• EWG recommended maximum: 0.43 pCi/L
• Las Vegas maximum detected level: 1.41 pCi/L

Is Las Vegas Water Hard or Soft?

Lake Mead — which gets a lot of its water from the Colorado River — is loaded with hard water minerals like calcium and magnesium. At 267 parts per million (16 grains per gallon), Las Vegas water is considered to be very hard. 

While hard water minerals don’t cause a health risk in people, hard water can be a nightmare to deal with in your home. Hard water minerals can clog your pipes, damage your water-using appliances, make your soap less sudsy, and leave impossible-to-clean soap scum and mineral deposits on everything. Those white crusty deposits also give bacteria and mold something to latch onto. 

If you’re tired of trying to scrub the chalky mess off your tiles or the rusty stains from your tub, the best way to deal with it is a water softener or a salt-free water conditioner. 

Does Las Vegas Fluoridate Drinking Water?

Las Vegas and Clark County have added fluoride to their drinking water since 2000. While many people want fluoride added to their water for the oral health benefits, it’s not a popular choice for everyone.

If you would like to remove the fluoride from your water, most water filters won’t work. To remove fluoride from water, make sure to use a reverse osmosis system like HomeWater’s 4-Stage Under-Counter Filtration System with reverse osmosis.