Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) announced that $900,500 they helped secure in the bipartisan infrastructure law is coming to the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) to fund restoration of the Las Vegas Wash. The wash helps to clean and conserve the urban runoff and wastewater that runs through the Las Vegas Valley into Lake Mead.
Last week, the Senators introduced a bill to authorize an additional $25 million for the Las Vegas Wash program to continue to support the work of the Southern Nevada Water Authority and the Bureau of Reclamation in erosion control, revegetation efforts, scientific studies, and biological restoration activities.
“I worked to make sure that the bipartisan infrastructure law contained funding to help Western states like Nevada cope with ongoing drought by improving our water infrastructure,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “I’m glad to see these funds coming to Las Vegas to help the Valley become more resilient to drought, and I’ll continue working to help Southern Nevada manage its water needs.”
“Severe drought is a serious and urgent threat to Nevada families, and we must act now to mitigate its harmful impacts,” said Senator Rosen. “More than $900,000 is coming to the Las Vegas area to help restore our water conservation and management systems, all thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that Senator Cortez Masto and I helped pass.”
Senators Cortez Masto and Rosen have diligently worked to combat drought and support water infrastructure. Senator Cortez Masto drafted legislation for the bipartisan infrastructure package to create a $450 million competitive grant program for large-scale water recycling projects across the Western U.S., and she is continuing to build on the popularity and success of this program. Earlier this year, Senators Cortez Masto and Rosen pushed for the Senate to protect Nevada’s drinking water through the Senate passage of the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act. They were also instrumental in passing the Colorado River Drought Contingency Plan Authorization Act. That legislation was signed into law on April 16, 2019, and it requires the Department of the Interior to carry out the Colorado River Drought Contingency Plan signed by the seven Colorado River Basin states, including Nevada.
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