An Act to Approve a New Pipeline Through Sloan Canyon in the Las Vegas Area!
Southern Nevada is one of the driest places in the country. And it is experiencing significant growth in population.
Residents and businesses in areas like Henderson and Las Vegas receive 40 percent of their drinking water from a single pipeline. It is known as the South Valley Lateral. The South Valley Lateral was completed in the 1990s. It was not built with today’s population in mind. There will be trouble if the South Valley Lateral pipeline experiences an outage or requires repairs. Many residents, businesses and tourists can find themselves in a bad predicament with no water.
On February 26, 2026 the U.S. Senate passed the Sloan Canyon Conservation and Lateral Pipeline Act (also known as Bill H.R. 972) with no amendment, and by unanimous consent. The bill will expand the boundaries of the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area in Clark County, Nevada. It will grant Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) rights-of-way for construction of an underground water pipeline.
The proposed 40-mile pipeline will move up to 375 million gallons of water per day to communities in Henderson and South Las Vegas. The construction of this new pipeline will strengthen the region’s access to water. It will be there in case the South Valley Lateral pipeline experiences a disruption.
Additionally, the bill will expand the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area by adding 9,290 acres to protect the local desert landscape and wildlife.
You can track the Bill’s status by going to H.R.972 – 119th Congress (2025-2026): Sloan Canyon Conservation and Lateral Pipeline Act | Congress.gov | Library of Congress
