Las Vegas
The driest major metro in America recycles nearly all of its indoor water and has torn out hundreds of millions of square feet of grass to stretch a shrinking Colorado River allocation.
las vegas valley water district
surface water (rivers/reservoirs) · local government · PWSID NV0000090
Below EPA's 15 ppb lead action level at last testing.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) · 2026 Q1
Las Vegas draws about 90 percent of its water from the Colorado River via Lake Mead, the reservoir that hit record lows in 2022. To survive on a small allocation, the Southern Nevada Water Authority built one of the most aggressive water programs in the country.
Nearly all water used indoors is treated and returned to Lake Mead, earning return-flow credits that effectively make indoor use closed-loop. The region's water math therefore hinges on outdoor use, which is consumptive and not recoverable.
That is why southern Nevada banned 'nonfunctional' decorative grass and has removed hundreds of millions of square feet of turf through cash-for-grass rebates — one of the most cited demand-reduction programs in the West and a model other desert cities, including St. George, are emulating.
Clark County water quality
Source: EPA SDWIS · 2026 Q1
At a glance
- ~90% of supply from the Colorado River / Lake Mead
- Nearly all indoor water recycled back to Lake Mead
- Banned nonfunctional decorative grass statewide
- Hundreds of millions of square feet of turf removed
Statewide drought history
% of Nevada in severe+ drought (Extreme (D3) now).
Source: U.S. Drought Monitor
Common questions
Is tap water safe in Las Vegas?
Las Vegas's largest water system, LAS VEGAS VALLEY WATER DISTRICT, serves about 1,539,277 people. EPA records show 0 health-based violation(s) since 2016 and a most-recent 90th-percentile lead level of 2.1 ppb (EPA action level is 15 ppb). Always check your own provider's annual Consumer Confidence Report.
Where does Las Vegas get its water?
LAS VEGAS VALLEY WATER DISTRICT draws primarily from surface water (rivers/reservoirs), part of Nevada's supply from Colorado River (Lake Mead), groundwater, Truckee River.
Related water issues
Colorado River
The river that supplies 40 million people has lost roughly a fifth of its flow since 2000, forcing a renegotiation of how seven states share the water.
ExploreDrought
Much of the American West is in a multi-decade dry period that researchers describe as the most severe in over a millennium, reshaping how communities plan for water.
ExplorePotable Reuse
Advanced purification turns treated wastewater into water that meets or exceeds drinking-water standards — increasingly essential in water-stressed regions.
Explore