California water recycling plant gains $26M to feed Lake Mead

Toilet water in Los Angeles will soon reduce the strain on Lake Mead, thanks in part to a $26.2 million boost that was announced Monday.

The recycled water will benefit Nevada and other states and tribes that depend on the lake for drinking water.

Named the Pure Water Southern California project, when it’s active, it will generate enough water to serve nearly 386,000 households, according to a news release from U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev.

The funds, from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that President Joe Biden signed in 2021, are going toward the construction of the project. It received $99 million in May from the same pool of federal money.

“I created the large-scale water recycling program through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to support this cutting-edge initiative to strengthen our water supply and protect critical water resources like Lake Mead,” Cortez Masto said in a statement. “I’m pleased to see these funds coming to help us combat drought throughout the West.”

Las Vegas has been a leader in the water reclamation space for years, recycling hundreds of millions of gallons of toilet water and sewage every day and sending it back to Lake Mead via the Las Vegas Wash.

To this new project, the Southern Nevada Water Authority contributed $750 million in 2021 in exchange for a share of California’s water in Lake Mead. The Metropolitan Water District estimates that the project will be functional in 2032.

“This investment will keep more water in Lake Mead, reduce demand on our precious water resources, and build long-term resiliency for sustainable water use in the West,” U.S. Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nev., said in a statement about the extra funding.