The Las Vegas Valley Water District Board of Directors voted unanimously to increase developer connection charges and water rates in accordance with a citizens advisory committee’s recommendation to support ongoing repairs, replacements, and upgrades to the community’s water system, which provides water to 1.4 million Southern Nevadans.
The modifications to the water rates will increase the typical residential customer’s monthly water bill about 75 cents, effective in February, with a similarly sized increase in 2018 and small inflationary adjustments thereafter.
Because all water tiers would be adjusted under the plan, frugal water users would see smaller increases than higher users.
Currently one of the country’s most reliable and efficient public water systems, the LVVWD has a main break rate below the national average and a system efficiency rating that is considered world-class.
However, portions of the water system are now more than 50 years old and nearing the end of their service life cycle. The citizen panel recommended proactive measures to address these facility life-cycle issues and avoid infrastructure degradation, which can cause increased service outages, compromise water quality, and require costly emergency repairs.
