Could Salty Groundwater Under Las Vegas Become New Water? Clark County Approves Pilot Study

Las Vegas may have a water source sitting just a few feet under its feet. Clark County commissioners have approved the Flamingo Water Resource Center as the site of a pilot study that will test whether shallow, salty groundwater across the valley can be cleaned to a very high standard and added to Southern Nevada’s limited water supply, FOX5 reported.

Key Takeaways

• The Clark County Water Reclamation District proposed the study; the Desert Research Institute (DRI) and Ardurra Group, Inc. will lead it, with UNLV, UNR and New Mexico Tech as partners.
• It will take place at the Flamingo Water Resource Center, the district’s largest treatment plant.
• Researchers will use reverse osmosis to treat brackish groundwater, with lab tests that could scale up to 10,000 gallons a day.
• The team is seeking a National Science Foundation grant to pay for the work. No dollar amount or timeline has been announced.

What is under the valley

The water in question is brackish groundwater that sits in shallow layers up to about 30 feet below the surface. It comes from rain and snowmelt, but it carries so much salt that nobody can drink it. It can also damage home foundations. The study will look at whether that overlooked water can be turned into something useful instead of a nuisance.

Why the district is looking

“Here in the Valley, we’ve gotten to the point where we’re looking very hard for additional water resources,” Dan Fischer, the district’s chief operating officer, told FOX5. He called the idea one more tool for the toolbox and said the team is hopeful.

The district has seen pilot projects pay off before. Fischer said a process that came out of an earlier pilot study now treats 30 million gallons a day.

What it means for locals and visitors

Nothing changes at your tap yet. This is an early test, the grant is still pending, and officials have not said how much water the idea could add or what it would cost. If it works, it could give the valley another local source beyond the Colorado River supply it depends on today. We will follow the study as it moves forward.

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Sources

• FOX5 Las Vegas: Pilot study: Could groundwater hold untapped supplies for Southern Nevada?