Las Vegas Sun

March 19, 2024

Water rate hike OK’d for valley homes, businesses

Western Water Looming Shortage

Julie Jacobson / AP

In this April 16, 2013, file photo, the high water mark for Lake Mead is seen on Hoover Dam and its spillway near Boulder City.

Water rates are going up for valley homes and businesses to help pay for a new $650 million pumping station that will keep water flowing into Las Vegas, even as Lake Mead shrinks.

The Clark County Commission, sitting as the board of the Las Vegas Valley Water District, voted today to approve a fixed surcharge to water bills based on the size of the customer’s water meter.

The average homeowner will see monthly bills increase by $2.41 starting in 2016, with an increase of $3.61 per month in 2017 and $4.81 in 2018.

The added revenue will be used to help pay for the new pumping station at Lake Mead that will work even if lake elevation levels drop below 1,000 feet.

The project is a complement to the $817 million third intake straw being built at the lake to allow water to be drawn into the pumping station from lower elevations than the existing two intake straws.

The majority of construction on the third intake was completed in December, and the structure is expected to be operational this summer.

Water levels at Lake Mead are at 1,089 feet of elevation and could drop as low as 1,066 feet over the next two years, according to projections from the Bureau of Reclamation.

The lake level has been declining because of a severe drought over the last 15 years, and officials fear it could plunge further if the drought continues.

The need for a new pumping station and the proposed rate increase to pay for it were endorsed by a citizen-led committee of business and community leaders organized by the Southern Nevada Water Authority.

The rate increases still need to be approved by water districts in North Las Vegas, Henderson and Boulder City.

The hike comes after a separate increase to pay off construction debt on the third intake straw and other projects was approved in 2013. That increase will add $5 to residents monthly water bills by 2017.

County Commissioner Steve Sisolak said he thought the rate increases were justified. “Rate increases are always difficult, but sometimes they’re necessary,” he said.

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