Governor Lombardo Supports Passage of Federal Legislation to Safeguard Southern Nevada Water

Governor Lombardo applauds yesterday's passage of the Sloan Canyon Conservation and Lateral Pipeline Act by the U.S. Senate - sending the bill to the President's desk to be signed into law. The bill, which the Governor supports, will defend Southern Nevada's water security and promote environmental conservation.

The Sloan Canyon Conservation and Lateral Pipeline Act, introduced by Senator Cortez Masto and Congresswoman Dina Titus, would permit a portion of the Southern Nevada Water Authority's (SNWA) Horizon Lateral Water Pipeline Project to tunnel beneath the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area (NCA), increasing the reliable water supply for over one million residents of Southern Nevadan, fortifying the region's water infrastructure against potential outages, and reducing impacts on surrounding communities from water infrastructure disruptions.

Additionally, the legislation would expand the 48,438-acre Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area by 9,290 acres, protecting the natural desert landscape and preserving thousands of petroglyphs created by native cultures.

"This legislation has had my full support and is a top federal priority for Southern Nevada's water future," said Governor Joe Lombardo. "This legislation results from years of consensus-building among various stakeholders in Southern Nevada, reflected in the fact that it has the support of local governments, businesses, gaming interests, hospitals, and the Governor's Office of Economic Development. I encourage President Trump to sign this bill now that it has reached his desk and safeguard public health and economic stability in Southern Nevada."

The broad support for this legislation in Southern Nevada stems from the fact that a large portion of the Las Vegas Valley is currently served by the South Valley Lateral, which is expected to reach full capacity by 2034.

Specifically, the South Valley Lateral supplies about 1 million people and 40 percent of residents and businesses in the Las Vegas Valley, including the City of Henderson. The existing water transmission system lacks redundant facilities to provide backup water services, highlighting the need for an additional lateral to increase capacity and ensure future water reliability. A disruption to the current water system could have serious consequences for the communities and economy of Southern Nevada.

The legislation was approved late last year in the House and now awaits President Trump's signature.

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