Congresswoman Lee Hosts 4th Annual Southern Nevada Water Summit, Highlight Colorado River Crisis
Joined by John Entsminger and Water Experts
Watch video from the summit here
LAS VEGAS, NV – Today, Congresswoman Susie Lee (NV-03) hosted her fourth annual Southern Nevada Water Summit at the Springs Preserve. Alongside John Entsminger, General Manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority and lead negotiator for the State of Nevada on Colorado River matters, and national and regional water experts, Congresswoman Lee discussed the Western water crisis.
“Whether I’m in my district or in Washington, D.C., someone always asks me what we’re doing to protect our water. Nevadans know all too well that our water is a precious resource, and I’m always proud to say that southern Nevada has demonstrated that meaningful conservation is possible,” said Colorado River Caucus Vice-Chair Congresswoman Susie Lee. “Today’s Water Summit highlighted that continued collaboration and innovation will be critical as we consider the future of the Colorado River Basin. The limitations on this precious resource have made Nevadans into pioneers once again, and we will continue blazing the trail toward a sustainable Western water future.”
Congresswoman Lee hosts her annual Southern Nevada Water Summit each year to convene advocates and experts for an all-hands-on-deck discussion on how Nevada can meet the Western water crisis with the urgency it demands. This year, the summit featured remarks and Q&A sessions focused on the future of the Colorado River System, the state of water recycling and reuse across the Colorado River Basin, and ongoing efforts to prioritize water supply and conservation within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Congresswoman Lee was joined by John Entsminger, General Manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority; Mike Connor, Senior Water Resources Official for the Biden, Obama, and Clinton Administrations; Noah Garrison, Environmental Science Practicum Director for the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability; and Dave Mitamura, Executive Director of the National Water Supply Alliance.
“Water supply reliability in the arid West requires collaboration, innovation, and leadership. Fortunately, there's ample supply in Nevada as demonstrated by Congresswoman Lee's action to bring together people with diverse backgrounds and experience to assess how best to make progress in securing our water future. The Southern Nevada Water Summit demonstrates that solutions are available even in the face of immense challenges,” said Mike Connor, Senior Water Resources Official for the Biden, Obama, and Clinton Administrations.
“We're facing a hotter, drier future across the Colorado River Basin and we need to more aggressively pursue the suite of solutions available - including water recycling - in order to ensure a safe, sustainable supply of water for the region,” said Noah Garrison, Environmental Science Practicum Director for the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability.
“Rep. Lee is on the march. She is looking for solutions big and small, obvious and not so obvious. Her support of efforts to strengthen the US Army Corps of Engineers water supply program may seem unconventional for a state with zero Corps water supply. She recognizes the benefit to help fellow basin states such as California to implement innovative Corps tools to develop new water supply and reduce reliance on the Colorado River,” said Dave Mitamura, Executive Director of the National Water Supply Alliance.
Lee’s work to protect southern Nevada’s water:
- Lee helped pass the Inflation Reduction Act — the most significant action on the climate crisis in our history, including $4 billion in investments specifically for water conservation along the Colorado River Basin.
- Lee’s Large-Scale Water Recycling Project Investment Act was signed into law as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
- She introduced the bipartisan Large-Scale Water Recycling Reauthorization Act to extend a federal grant program for large-scale water recycling projects in the Colorado River Basin and throughout the West.
- Lee secured a pair of provisions in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2024 to improve Laughlin’s water system and enhance the Las Vegas Wash program.
- Last year, Lee fought to defeat proposals to sell Nevada’s public lands and send the proceeds back to Washington to offset permanent tax breaks to billionaires.
- Since 1998, the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (SNPLMA) has ensured that the revenue from federal land sales in Southern Nevada stays in the state. 10 percent of SNPLMA funds go directly to SNWA — and, to date, SNPLMA has generated more than $368 million to fund Nevada’s water priorities and infrastructure needs.
- Lee is co-championing a lands bill with Senator Catherine Cortez Masto that would enable Clark County to responsibly pursue new development across the next half-century while maintaining and building upon SNPLMA.
- Lee and Cortez Masto’s bipartisan, bicameral Help Hoover Dam Act was signed into law. As mandated by the bill, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation released $52 million in funding for the Hoover Dam.
- These long-stranded funds can now be used for Hoover Dam operations, maintenance, and improvement projects, including installing the turbines needed to create hydroelectric power at lower lake depths, which have become necessary due to ongoing drought conditions.
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