Southern Nevada’s tap water meets or surpasses all State of Nevada and federal Safe Drinking Water Act standards. It even meets more stringent requirements than bottled water!

In 2025, SNWA laboratory staff members:

💧Collected more than 66,000 water samples

💧Conducted more than 328,000 analyses of those samples

💧Monitored for 91 U.S. EPA-regulated and 75 unregulated contaminants

💧Monitored in "real time" 24 hours a day, 365 days a year

What is hard water?

Water is considered "hard" when it contains a high level of dissolved minerals. In the Las Vegas Valley, calcium and magnesium are the two nontoxic minerals that cause our hard water. They're carried into Lake Mead from the mineral-dense Colorado River and pose NO health risk.

All water originates from a source. Tap water and bottled water sources include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs and wells. About 90% of your water comes from Lake Mead. Nearly all of the lake’s water originates as snowmelt in the Rocky Mountains that flows down the Colorado River.

As water travels over the surface of the land, it dissolves minerals. Before your tap water is delivered to you, it undergoes a multistage treatment process at one of two advanced water treatment facilities with a leading-edge combination of ozonation, filtration and chlorination.

Our community is home to one of the most advanced and reliable municipal water systems in the nation. Thanks to our world-class Water Quality Laboratory and Applied Research & Development Center, we are one of the world’s premier water agencies, combining high-level research and continuous water quality testing under one roof. Our team of dedicated scientists, postdoctoral researchers, engineers, technicians, lab analysts, and field crews treat and test your water rigorously to ensure it meets the highest quality standards.

State-of-the-art ozonation is our primary water treatment. Ozone is produced by subjecting oxygen molecules to high electrical voltages. It provides a very powerful disinfectant with a superior ability to kill bacteria, cryptosporidium and microscopic organisms that may be present.

Multistage filtration systems remove particles from the water, and we add chlorine as water leaves the treatment facilities. This protects water on the way to your tap. We use chlorination throughout Southern Nevada’s distribution systems: it’s highly effective at maintaining the quality of your drinking water throughout the systems.

Yes, our mineral-rich water is hard. And yes, that’s okay! Don’t love the taste of hard tap water? We respect that. But don’t confuse hard water with its quality as it poses NO health risk. Water hardness is due to natural, harmless calcium and magnesium that dissolve into the Colorado River.

Small lemon, lime or orange slices equal BIG zest.

Keep a pitcher of tap water in the fridge. You’ll boost flavor and zap the chlorine-y feel.

An activated carbon filter, like those in carafe systems, is a low-cost solution that can improve taste and odor perceptions. They do not remove hardness, minerals, sodium or fluoride. SNWA doesn't recommend any particular brand or model. However, we provide Consumer Reports® ratings of several brands and types of water filtration systems.

It might not be the water…it might be you! Keep up with filter replacement and maintenance schedules if you have a built-in filtration system to avoid in-home issues. And know your water hardness (280 parts per million or 16 grains per gallon) when setting your water softener.

Stop using disposable water bottles! Fill a reusable bottle with water from your faucet instead. Southern Nevada’s tap water meets more stringent requirements than bottled water, is far more sustainable, and contains naturally occurring minerals and electrolytes, thanks to its long journey from the Rocky Mountains down the Colorado River to Lake Mead.

According to the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, all water agencies are required to produce and distribute a water quality report every year. Water quality reports are available through your water provider. Links to 2025 water provider reports are listed below.