Sparks
Sparks, NV water profile — supply sources, drought status, wastewater reuse, and the key water issues facing the city.
canyon gid
groundwater (wells) · local government · PWSID NV0005056
Below EPA's 15 ppb lead action level at last testing.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) · 2026 Q1
Sparks is a small but growing city and the 9th-largest in Nevada, home to roughly 96,094 residents. Sparks's drinking water comes largely from the same regional sources that serve Nevada: Colorado River (Lake Mead), groundwater, and Truckee River.
As elsewhere in Nevada, the central challenge is colorado river. Las Vegas recycles nearly all indoor water back to Lake Mead and has removed hundreds of millions of square feet of grass — a national model for the driest state.
Nevada reuses an estimated 60% of its treated wastewater and maintains established reuse programs; Sparks tracks severe to extreme drought conditions on the U.S. Drought Monitor scale.
Explore the Nevada profile for statewide context, or dig into the water issues shaping Sparks below.
Storey County water quality
Source: EPA SDWIS · 2026 Q1
At a glance
- Population ~96,094 (9th-largest in Nevada)
- Primary sources: Colorado River (Lake Mead), groundwater, and Truckee River
- Drought: severe to extreme conditions
- State reuse rate: ~60% of wastewater
Statewide drought history
% of Nevada in severe+ drought (Extreme (D3) now).
Source: U.S. Drought Monitor
Common questions
Is tap water safe in Sparks?
Sparks's largest water system, CANYON GID, serves about 1,310 people. EPA records show 2 health-based violation(s) since 2016 and a most-recent 90th-percentile lead level of 2 ppb (EPA action level is 15 ppb). Always check your own provider's annual Consumer Confidence Report.
Where does Sparks get its water?
CANYON GID draws primarily from groundwater (wells), 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.
ExploreGroundwater Depletion
Aquifers from the Central Valley to the Ogallala are being pumped faster than they recharge, causing land subsidence and threatening long-term supply.
Explore