That's the bottom line—and a clear message about your water quality.

The Las Vegas Valley Water District is here to deliver. For you.

In a year like no other, our field crews, scientists, engineers, treatment operators and many dedicated, behind-the-scenes employees had one mission: To ensure your water's safety, your water's quality, your water's reliability. "We've got this," we said, time and time again. And we did—because we knew then and know now that you depend on your water every single day, in good times and in tough times. You can have confidence in your water.

We treat and deliver your water through one of the most state-ofthe-art municipal systems in the nation. We are proactively investing more than $600 million to maintain, expand and upgrade reservoirs, pumping stations and pipelines, creating one of the nation’s most reliable water systems. Please continue to use your water—and your investment—responsibly.

We are proud to serve this resilient community and invite you to read this report and visit lvvwd.com to learn more about your water quality.

John J. Entsminger
General Manager
Las Vegas Valley Water District

This report is based on data collected during the 2020 calendar year, unless noted otherwise, and is provided in accordance with the Safe Drinking Water Act. Please see below for more consumer resources.

About 90 percent of your water comes from Lake Mead. Nearly all of the lake's water originates as snowmelt in the Rocky Mountains that flows down the Colorado River.

The remaining water—about 10 percent—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.

Groundwater is used mainly May 1-Oct. 1 each year to meet peak water demand. If you live or work within several miles of the Water District's offices at Charleston and Valley View boulevards, or in the northwest valley, you may receive a blend of groundwater and treated Lake Mead water.

In 2020, we conducted 307,655 analyses on 54,465 water samples. We sampled and tested water from Lake Mead, our storage reservoirs and 367 sampling stations throughout our distribution system—including stations in customers' meter boxes. We go beyond state and federal requirements to ensure your water quality meets or surpasses tough Safe Drinking Water Act standards, all the way to the meter.

Water drawn from the Las Vegas Valley groundwater aquifer is naturally filtered, so it is simply treated with chlorine as it enters the distribution system. Water drawn from Lake Mead is treated at the Southern Nevada Water Authority's two advanced water treatment facilities with a leading-edge combination of ozonation, filtration and chlorination.

State-of-the-art ozonation is our primary water treatment: Ozone provides a very powerful disinfectant with a superior ability to kill bacteria, Cryptosporidium and other microscopic organisms that may be present. Multistage filtration systems remove particles from the water, and we add chlorine as water leaves the treatment facilities, protecting water on the way to your tap. Chlorination is used throughout Southern Nevada's water distribution systems, and it's extremely effective at destroying viruses and microorganisms during treatment and maintaining disinfection throughout the system.

Additional corrosion-control efforts also help maintain water quality through more than 6,800 miles of Water District pipelines—all of them lead-free.

In 2020, we monitored for 91 U.S. EPA-regulated contaminants; 76 of these have "primary" standards and are listed in this report if they were detected in our water supply. We also monitored for more than 75 unregulated contaminants and for Cryptosporidium, which is required by the EPA for water systems that treat surface water. Cryptosporidium, a naturally occurring organism that can cause gastrointestinal distress, was not detected in any 2020 source (untreated) water samples. While not all monitoring details are required in this report, you may view the complete Water Quality Summary showing all results or contact our Water Quality Division at 702-258-3215.

The Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) continues to conduct extensive, additional studies to help researchers worldwide learn more about COVID-19 epidemiology. Respiratory illnesses such as COVID-19 are primarily transmitted person-to-person—there is no indication that transmission can occur via drinking water supplies, and tests of water leaving the SNWA's treatment facilities have been negative for COVID-19. In addition, the SNWA and Water District maintain robust emergency response and readiness plans to help maintain our water system during numerous emergency situations, including community illness.

Is my water "hard?" Why?

Las Vegas has hard water, thanks to our primary water source, the mineral-rich Colorado River. As naturally abundant, harmless calcium and magnesium dissolve into river flows, they may leave a bit of their taste behind. But your hard water ( 267 parts per million or 16 grains per gallon) poses NO health risk and meets ALL water-quality standards.

Should I use a water treatment system?

Home systems aren't necessary but may improve taste and hardness. Contact the Southern Nevada Water Authority for a free Consumer Reports ^® filter buying guide and fact sheets.

Is bottled water better than tap water?

In general, no. About 40 percent of bottled water sold in stores actually comes directly from municipal tap water. And while tap water is regulated by the U.S. EPA, bottled water isn't, and is subject to less strict and less frequent testing. How about cost? Bottled water costs roughly $1-$8 per gallon, while in Las Vegas, tap water costs about 1.4 cents per gallon. Average bottled water drinkers spend $200-$2,000 per person, per year on water, while tap drinkers spend about $3!

How can I conserve water ?

Follow mandatory, seasonal watering restrictions! It's the law. Find your assigned watering days. Never water on Sunday. Don't run sprinklers 11 a.m.-7 p.m., May 1-Aug. 31.

Report water waste at lvvwd.com or on the go with our free LVVWD App. And earn CASH when you trade useless grass for plants: Enroll in the Water Smart Landscapes rebate program at snwa.com.

These results represent levels of regulated contaminants in the treated water supply, based on 2020 data, except where noted. Visit our water quality reports page for a complete Water Quality Summary.

Action Level: The concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements that a water system must follow.

AMSWTF: Alfred Merritt Smith Water Treatment Facility

Disinfection by-product (DBP): A substance created by the chemicals or processes used to destroy potentially harmful microorganisms.

Locational running annual average : The average of sample results taken at a particular monitoring location for the previous four consecutive quarters.

Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL): The highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCLs are set as close to the MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment technology.

Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG): The level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLGs allow for a margin of safety.

Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level (MRDL): The highest level of a disinfectant allowed in drinking water. There is convincing evidence that addition of a disinfectant is necessary for control of microbial contaminants.

Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal (MRDLG): The level of a drinking water disinfectant below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MRDLGs do not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to control microbial contamination.

N/A: Not applicable

N/D: Not detected. Does not equate to zero, but refers to an amount below analytical reporting limits.

Nephelometric Turbidity Unit (NTU): A measurement of water's clarity.

Ozonation: An advanced water treatment process that involves the addition of ozone, a very powerful gaseous disinfectant, to water to destroy bacteria, Cryptosporidium and other pathogens. Ozonation processes began at AMSWTF and RMWTF in 2003.

Part per billion (ppb): A unit used to describe the levels of detected contaminants. Equivalent to 1 cent in $10 million.

Part per million (ppm): A unit used to describe the levels of detected contaminants. Equivalent to 1 cent in $10,000.

Picocuries per liter (pCi/L): A measure of the radioactivity in water. Low levels of radiation occur naturally in many water systems, including the Colorado River.

Running annual average : The average of sample results for 12 consecutive months or four consecutive quarters, based on the monitoring requirements.

RMWTF: River Mountains Water Treatment Facility

Treatment Technique: A required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.

Turbidity: A measure of water clarity, which serves as an indicator of the treatment facility's performance.

Many large water systems, including ours, also monitor for specific constituents that the U.S. EPA is considering for regulation in drinking water.

The information here was provided to the EPA in compliance with the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR)—a hallmark of the 1996 amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act to further protect water quality. The rule benefits the environment and public health by providing the EPA with scientifically valid data on contaminants of interest, but not yet regulated, in drinking water. Learn more at epa.gov/dwucmr.

UCMR 4 monitoring took place in 2018 and 2019; we will report these results over multiple years.

Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Those with compromised immune systems such as cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, people who have had organ transplants, those with HIV/AIDS or other immune-system disorders, some elderly and infants can be particularly at risk from infections. These people should seek advice from their health-care providers about drinking water.

Call the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791 for Environmental Protection Agency/Centers for Disease Control guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants.

The federal Safe Drinking Water Act was amended in 1996 and requires states to develop and implement source water assessment programs to analyze existing and potential threats to the quality of public drinking water throughout the state. A summary of the Las Vegas Valley Water District's susceptibility to potential sources of contamination was initially provided by the state of Nevada in 2003. The summary of this source water assessment was included in the LVVWD 2004 Water Quality Report and now may be accessed on the water quality reports page.

Detailed information pertaining to the findings of the source water assessment is available. Please call 702-258-3215. Learn more about the Nevada Source Water Assessment Program at ndep.nv.gov/water/source-water-protection.

All water originates from a source. Sources for both tap water and bottled water include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs and wells. As water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground, it dissolves minerals and—in some cases—other contaminants, and can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity.

Tap water as well as bottled water may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants—any substances that are not H2O. It's important to understand that the presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk—particularly in light of claims made by some home water-treatment companies and reports about water quality or the environment.

Before the Las Vegas Valley Water District delivers your tap water, it undergoes a multistage treatment process. We test your water rigorously to ensure it meets strict Safe Drinking Water Act standards. Our goal is to effectively treat and manage contaminants that may be present in source (untreated) water, including:

• Microbial contaminants such as viruses and bacteria that may come from wastewater discharges or animal wastes from urban or agricultural runoff;
• Inorganic contaminants such as salts and metals that can occur naturally or result from industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, farming or mining;
• Pesticides and herbicides that may come from urban stormwater runoff from agricultural and residential uses;
• Organic chemical contaminants including synthetic or volatile organic chemicals that are by-products of industrial processes and can come from gas stations, industrial discharges and stormwater runoff;
• Radioactive contaminants that can occur naturally or as a result of industrial activities.

To ensure tap-water safety, EPA regulations limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. Learn more by calling the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791 or visit the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection website at ndep.nv.gov/water.

Food and Drug Administration regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water, which must provide similar protection for public health.

The Las Vegas Valley Water District's water infrastructure does NOT contain lead service lines or other lead components. The state of Nevada and the EPA require public education for lead and copper, and the Water District monitors for both.

Your water meets state and federal requirements for lead, but if present at elevated levels, lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing. The Water District is responsible for providing high-quality drinking water but cannot control the variety of materials used in home plumbing components. Homes built before 1986 are more likely to have lead-based plumbing components.

When your water has been sitting for several hours, minimize the potential for lead exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using water for drinking or cooking. If you are concerned about lead in your tap water, have your water tested by a private laboratory. For more information, call the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline, 800-426-4791, or visit epa.gov.

In December 2020, the U.S. EPA announced the first major update to the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) in nearly 30 years. EPA's new rule, which will take effect in future years, is designed to strengthen regulations to better protect children and impacted communities from lead exposure risks in drinking water. Learn more at epa.gov and depend on your Water Quality Report to keep you informed.

The Las Vegas Valley Water District received a notice of violation for not collecting a sufficient number of samples for testing of regulated contaminants at two of its groundwater wells during the 2017-19 monitoring period. During that period, the LVVWD did not fully complete all monitoring required for some Synthetic Organic Chemicals (SOCs). The LVVWD completed the SOC monitoring that was missed from the two groundwater wells in 2020 and all sample results met Safe Drinking Water Act health standards.

While the vast majority of LVVWD customers do not receive water from these wells, which are located near U.S. 95 at Valley View Boulevard and U.S. 95 at Torrey Pines Drive, the LVVWD is providing this notification to its customers as required by state and federal standards. Additional monitoring verification processes have been implemented to prevent a recurrence.

• Refrigerate a pitcher of tap water to boost flavor and zap chlorine perceptions.
• Add a citrus slice for zest.
• Try an activated carbon filter, like those in carafe systems.
• If you have an in-home filtration system, follow its recommended maintenance schedule, including filter replacement.

The Las Vegas Valley Water District Board of Directors meets at 9 a.m. on the first Tuesday of every month. Meetings are open to the public, offer a public-comment period and are held at the Clark County Government Center, 500 S. Grand Central Pkwy. In accordance with Nevada Open Meeting Law, agendas for regular meetings are posted and available at least three days before each meeting on lvvwd.com. Submit questions on our "Contact Us" page or by mail:

Las Vegas Valley Water District
Public Services Department
1001 S. Valley View Blvd., MS 780
Las Vegas, NV 89153

Marilyn Kirkpatrick, President

James Gibson, Vice President

William McCurdy II

Ross Miller

Michael Naft

Tick Segerblom

John J. Entsminger, General Manager

Este reporte contiene información muy importante acerca de la calidad del agua. Para recibir una copia en español, llame al 702-258-3946 o visita lvvwd.com.

Las Vegas Valley Water District

• Website: Water Quality
• Water Quality: 702-258-3215
• Public Information: 702-258-3930
• Customer Services: 702-870-4194

Conservation and Rebate Programs (SNWA)

• English: 702-258-SAVE (7283)
• Español: 702-258-AGUA (2482)

Environmental Protection Agency

• Website: epa.gov
• Safe Drinking Water Hotline: 800-426-4791

Nevada Division of Environmental Protection

• Website: ndep.nv.gov/water
• Bureau of Safe Drinking Water: 775-687-9521

The Las Vegas Valley Water District's mission is to provide world class water service in a sustainable, adaptive and responsible manner to our customers through reliable, cost-effective systems.