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Southern Nevadans enjoy one of the most reliable, quality drinking water supplies in the nation. Water delivered by the Las Vegas Valley Water District meets or surpasses all state and national standards established under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act and in accordance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. LVVWD publishes a Water Quality Report annually with details about where your water comes from, what’s in it and how it makes the grade.

Water testing and analysis

The 2020 Water Quality Report includes the results of testing and analyses conducted during the 2019 calendar year. The report confirms that the water delivered by the LVVWD meets or surpasses all state and federal requirements.

91 regulated contaminants monitored as required by the EPA.

75+ additional, unregulated contaminants monitored by LVVWD.

The report is available in print and online at lvvwd.com. Most of the test results are reported in parts per billion (ppb). One part per billion is similar to ...

• One pinch of salt in 10 tons of potato chips

• One second in more than 30 years

• One inch in 16,000 miles

• One square of toilet paper in a roll stretching from New York City to London

Bottled water vs. tap water

The difference between bottled and tap water comes down to regulations and testing. While the EPA sets and enforces health-based standards for drinking water, the Food and Drug Administration oversees the bottled water industry. The EPA sets strict limits for contaminants and water safety of tap water, and requires municipal water agencies to make public all test results. According to Consumer Reports, the FDA requires bottled water to come from an approved source (more than 60% of bottled water is filtered tap water). Bottled water companies are required to test the quality of their product, but they are not required to make the results of the tests available to the public.

Where your water comes from

About 90% of your water comes from Lake Mead, and almost all of that water originates as snowmelt in the Rocky Mountains and flows down the Colorado River. The remaining water—about 10%—comes from wells that tap a deep groundwater aquifer beneath the Las Vegas Valley. That aquifer is naturally replenished by precipitation in the Spring Mountains and the Sheep Range.

How your water is treated

Water drawn from Lake Mead is treated at the Southern Nevada Water Authority’s two advanced water treatment facilities with a combination of ozonation, filtration and chlorination. Ozone is a powerful disinfectant with the ability to kill bacteria, Cryptosporidium and other microscopic organisms that may be present. A multistage filtration system removes particles from the water. Chlorine protects it on the way to your tap. Chlorination, which is used throughout Southern Nevada’s water distribution systems, is effective at destroying viruses and microorganisms during the treatment process and maintaining disinfection throughout the water system.

Additional corrosion-control efforts help maintain water quality throughout the district’s water distribution system, which includes more than 6,800 miles of pipelines—all of them lead-free.

Because water drawn from the Las Vegas Valley groundwater aquifer is naturally filtered, it is simply treated with chlorine as it enters the distribution system.

What is the Safe Drinking Water Act

Congress passed the Safe Drinking Water Act in 1974 to protect public health. The SDWA requires the EPA to establish and enforce safety standards that all public drinking water systems must follow.