The Nevada State Engineer has announced it will begin initiating new Nevada adjudications.
Vested water users have until December 31, 2027 to submit their vested claims, or Proofs of Appropriation that assert their pre-water code use. But vested rights holders should start now completing their historical research to support their claims.
Please remember that the process cannot be completed overnight. We encourage everyone to start researching now!
Sloan Canyon Pipeline
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.
Petroglyphs at Sloan Canyon, near Las Vegas, NV.
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.
Nevada Passes Two New Bills Combatting Water Scarcity Throughout the State
In June, 2025, Nevada’s Governor, Joe Lombardo, signed two new bills creating a voluntary Water Rights retirement Program. These are Assembly Bill 104 (A.B. 104) and Senate Bill 36 (S.B. 36). As a result, the Nevada Voluntary Water Rights Retirement Program was officially established. A program like this was previously successful in Diamond Valley and along the Humboldt River corridor in 2024. The program allows for water right holders to voluntarily sell their groundwater rights back to the State. Once purchased, the State Engineer will permanently retire the rights and remove them from future use and reappropriation. The program will assist the State in managing groundwater resources to ensure people are not over pumping aquifers.
Nevada’s Drought
According to the National Integrated Drought Information System, approximately 59 percent of Nevada is in a drought, while the other 41 percent is “abnormally dry”. Drought conditions pose significant challenges to the environment and its inhabitants. Additionally, persistent drought conditions can impact accessibility to clean water used for drinking, cooking and sanitation. In most cases, droughts also devastate crops and limit water availability to cattle, impacting the cost and accessibility to food. It is no surprise that the state’s lawmakers are taking action in finding ways to conserve water throughout the state.
Nevada continues to be the driest state in the country, and groundwater is quickly diminishing. The Nevada Voluntary Water Rights Retirement Program can be crucial in conserving water throughout the state for years to come. To view more information about the new bills and their funding, please visit the Nevada Legislature website and links listed below:
