Water Smarts Podcast

Las Vegas owes its very existence to groundwater. Native peoples relied on natural springs that bubbled to the surface; early settlers farmed using water from the springs and groundwater aquifer; and Las Vegas became a townsite because the railroad needed a stop where it could refill its steam locomotive water tanks. The Las Vegas Springs stopped flowing in 1962, but Southern Nevada still relies on the groundwater aquifer for 10 percent of its water supply. Learn more about groundwater and how the Southern Nevada Water Authority helps protect the aquifer on the Water Smarts Podcast, “WHAT LIES BENEATH: Southern Nevada groundwater is a hidden resource for the community.”

Hosts: Bronson Mack and Crystal Zuelke

https://www.snwa.com/

https://www.snwa.com/

Leaks inside and outside your home can cause devastating damage and significantly increase your water bill. The Las Vegas Valley Water District (LVVWD) has improved its leak notification system so that customers get notified within days of a potential problem and before a high water bill may arrive. We talk with Dennis Demera, LVVWD Customer Care & Field Services Manager, about the new system and how customers can ensure they’re notified quickly of potential leaks on their property.

Hosts: Bronson Mack and Crystal Zuelke

https://www.snwa.com/

https://www.snwa.com/

WaterStart serves as an innovation hub that brings water utilities and innovators together to test new technologies. From measuring arsenic in groundwater in real-time to finding leaks in the Las Vegas Valley Water District’s 6,500 miles of buried pipes, WaterStart innovators are helping the water industry use technology to solve the nagging challenges that keep utility staff up at night. SNWA Deputy General Manager of Operations Dave Johnson and WaterStart Executive Director Nate Allen share success stories and how WaterStart is supporting the testing and implementation of new technologies on episode 11 of the Water Smarts Podcast, “WaterStart – Finding innovative solutions to water industry challenges.”

https://www.snwa.com/

Currently, 40 percent of the Las Vegas Valley gets its water through the South Valley Lateral (SVL) transmission system. While the rest of Southern Nevada’s water transmission laterals have redundant facilities to ensure water delivery in the event of an emergency, the SVL is a single-feed system. In 2017, a leak in the pipeline required the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) to coordinate major repairs with the City of Henderson and Las Vegas Valley Water District to keep water flowing to customers. The SNWA is constructing the Horizon Lateral to work in tandem with the SVL to provide system redundancy and increase reliability to the south part of the valley. Doa Ross, SNWA Deputy General Manager of Engineering, and Adriana Ventimiglia, Senior Program Engineer, talk about the planning and construction of this massive infrastructure project and its impacts on the economy and jobs in Southern Nevada.

https://www.snwa.com/

The Nevada Governor recently signed into law Assembly Bill 356 (AB356), which prohibits the use of Colorado River water to irrigate decorative, useless grass in streetscapes, medians, parking lots and other areas where it is used for nonrecreational purposes by the end of 2026.
The law helps the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) advance its conservation goals by essentially requiring this grass to be replaced with water-smart landscapes. SNWA Deputy General Manager of Resources Colby Pellegrino joins the Water Smarts podcast to explain how the new law will help protect 10 percent of Southern Nevada’s Colorado River supply and what properties are targeted. Nevada State Assemblyman Howard Watts and Nevada State Senator Fabian Donate talk about why this new law had broad, bipartisan support and what it means for Nevada on this episode of the Water Smarts podcast.

https://www.snwa.com/