Water in Nevada.
Las Vegas draws nearly all of its water from Lake Mead (Colorado River). Natural arsenic from desert geology affects groundwater systems. Henderson and the I-15 corridor have legacy industrial groundwater contamination.
How Nevada regulates drinking water.
Federal SDWA primacy. No state MCLs stricter than federal. Active Colorado River drought planning dominates state water policy.
Nevada Division of Environmental Protection — Bureau of Safe Drinking Water
Nevada's water history, in order.
The contamination events, regulatory shifts, and major settlements that define how this state thinks about drinking water today.
- 1980s
Henderson perchlorate contamination identified — among the first major U.S. perchlorate cases.
- 2023
Lake Mead reaches lowest level since impoundment; Las Vegas drought planning escalates.
The actual water you drink.
The physical rivers, aquifers, lakes, and reservoirs that feed Nevada's public water systems. Source quality is the foundation of tap quality — and where the long-term protection fights happen.
- lakeLake Mead (Colorado River)
Las Vegas Valley primary supply.
- riverTruckee River
Reno / Sparks.
- aquiferCarson Basin Aquifer
Northern NV.
Source-water mix
~75% Colorado River + Lake Mead, ~25% groundwater
Major cities served
Las Vegas · Henderson · Reno · North Las Vegas · Sparks
Who actually serves the water.
The largest public water systems in Nevada by population served. Click your ZIP after to see the full live EWG report for your specific utility.
- Las Vegas Valley Water DistrictLas Vegas metro1,500Kserved
- Truckee Meadows Water AuthorityReno metro410Kserved
- City of Henderson Public WorksHenderson320Kserved
Where the contamination comes from.
Every state has a different industrial fingerprint. The industries below are the dominant historical and active contamination sources in Nevada's drinking water systems.
Henderson industrial corridor drove perchlorate contamination (one of the first major U.S. perchlorate cases). Defense Department PFAS at Nellis AFB. Mining (gold, silver) drives heavy-metal concerns in central NV.
What state data flags most consistently.
Drawn from EPA SDWIS sampling records, EWG state summaries, and regional regulatory action over the past five years. Read the full deep dive on each.
Arsenic
A naturally occurring carcinogen. Highest in private wells and the rural Southwest.
Trihalomethanes (TTHMs)
Byproducts of chlorinating water. Linked to bladder cancer at chronic exposure.
Chromium-6 (Hexavalent Chromium)
The Erin Brockovich chemical. A known carcinogen with no federal-specific limit yet.
PFAS (Forever Chemicals)
A class of ~15,000 synthetic chemicals that don't break down. Now regulated for the first time.
Risk isn't evenly distributed.
Rural Nevada residents on groundwater wells face the highest geologic arsenic exposure. Henderson industrial-corridor residents face legacy contamination.
~7% on private wells.
What's coming for Nevada's water.
Lake Mead historic-low levels threaten Las Vegas supply — Tier 2 shortage forces conservation. Wildfire risk affects Truckee River and Tahoe-area watersheds. Aquifer drawdown in northern NV accelerates.
Voluntary statewide
Nevada DEP provides voluntary screening; Clark County School District has tested.
Five questions for your next Consumer Confidence Report.
Your utility is required to send you a Consumer Confidence Report annually. Most are dense and procedural. These are the questions worth following up on for Nevada specifically.
- 1
Has my Las Vegas-area utility activated any Lake Mead drought-trigger restrictions?
- 2
Is my Henderson-area home in the perchlorate plume zone?
- 3
When was my private well last tested for arsenic?
Most state regulators allow public records requests for the underlying lab reports behind your CCR — your utility should be able to provide them on request.
NSF/ANSI 58 reverse osmosis for arsenic, chromium-6, and TTHMs in one system.
We don't recommend brands — the NSF/ANSI certification number matters more than the name on the box.
This is the state. Your address is the answer.
State-level patterns don't tell you about your specific tap. Run your ZIP for the live EWG contaminant report on your utility — or build a personalized Water File for your household.
Source-water mix, utility counts, lead-service-line estimates, and private-well shares are approximate, drawn from EPA SDWIS public data and state primacy-agency summaries. Contaminant rankings reflect EWG state-level monitoring data and regional regulatory action — they are not exhaustive. Timeline events are publicly documented. See methodology for the full sourcing. Search EPA SDWIS for Nevada