Congresswoman Lee Announces New Federal Water Investments for SNWA Alongside Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Touton
Paying Families to Convert Grass Yards to Save Water
LAS VEGAS – Today, Congresswoman Susie Lee (NV-03) joined Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner — and fellow Las Vegan — Camille Touton to announce $60 million in federal investments for the Southern Nevada Water Authority’s (SNWA) Water Smart Landscapes Rebate Program, which will help families save on their utility bills and keep more water in Lake Mead. Lee helped negotiate and pass the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to deliver these investments.
The Water Smart Landscapes Rebate Program pays southern Nevadans to convert their grass yards into natural landscapes. For residential properties, it offers $3 per square foot of grass removed up to the first 10,000 square feet and $1.50 for each additional square foot after that for each fiscal year. The Bureau of Reclamation anticipates the program will remove 23,166,023 square feet of turfgrass, which will allow SNWA to reduce delivery of its Colorado River water entitlement by a total of 189,635 acre-feet.
"Nevada is home to some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world. But unfortunately, we’re still confronting the effects of the worst drought in twelve centuries," said Congresswoman Susie Lee. "This new drought mitigation investment – made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act I helped negotiate and pass – will help keep more water in Lake Mead and put more money in Nevadan's pockets."
The investment is part of a broader $284.8 million announcement for long-term, IRA-funded water conservation projects in collaboration with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and the Coachella Valley Water District in addition to SNWA.
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