Water officials in Southern Nevada can’t resist a good recycling program — no matter how disgusting it might seem on the surface.

A $10 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will pay for property owners — at no cost — to stop using septic tanks and get connected to the valley’s sewer system. In the long run, that means millions of gallons of water can be recycled rather than seeping into the ground and contaminating groundwater.

Talk about a dirty job.

With about 14,000 properties on septic systems, there’s a lot of water going to waste currently. To start, officials are targeting 8,000 of those properties which are already using municipal water. The remaining 6,000 properties use well water. Any property that’s within 50 feet of a sewer line is considered a priority as the effort begins.

U.S. Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nev.) said homes with septic systems use about six times the water of homes that are connected to the sewer system, and that water isn’t available to be recycled.

“And many of the people in these homes would like to do more to conserve water, but they either don’t have access to the resources or they think it’s too expensive, or they don’t have information about how they can do it. This funding will help in all three of those areas,” Titus said.

Titus and EPA Deputy Administrator Cheree Peterson joined local representatives on Wednesday to announce the $10 million grant. And Peterson used the event to announce another round of funding for projects dedicated to the nation’s drinking water, wastewater systems and surface water management.

The Biden-Harris administration is releasing $3.6 billion, with $21 million earmarked for Nevada, Peterson said. Combined with $26 million already coming to the state, the funding is about five times the typical federal funding for Nevada’s water projects, she said.

“This is one of the few places on the planet — not just in this country — that recycles almost all of its water,” Peterson said.

Titus applauded SNWA as a leader in water conservation initiatives. “Our numbers are the best in the West and people follow your example for some of the creative, visionary projects that you all have had,” Titus said.

It’s a voluntary program. When the effort was discussed during the 2023 Nevada Legislature, homeowners made it loud and clear that they couldn’t afford to pay the costs themselves. The EPA funding announced Wednesday will make a big difference.

Colby Pellegrino, deputy general manager of resources for the Southern Nevada Water Authority, highlighted the Lone Mountain Mobile Home Park at N. Buffalo Drive and W. Lone Mountain Road. It’s one of the first places on the list of priorities, where 82 mobile homes on septic tanks will be connected to the municipal sewer system.

Pellegrino said it’s important to identify groups of properties that can be put on the sewer system together. That will add efficiency that will allow officials to expand the reach of the program.

“We’re unique compared to any other Colorado River community in that all of that water hitting our sewer system is going back to the lake,” Pellegrino said.

Connecting to the sewer system brings benefits on every level, she said.

“Septic systems cause groundwater contamination. Septic systems make it so you can’t do certain things on the part of your property where the septic system exists. You can’t put a patio over it, you can’t put a structure over the top of it. So it gives the homeowner more freedom to use their property,” Pellegrino said. “And of course, the community gets the return-flow credits and helps build resilience.”

David Stoft, general counsel for the Clark County Water Reclamation District, described steps being taken to get the benefits of the program to Spanish-speaking residents. He also outlined progress made over the past year:

• 67 homes converted to municipal sewer service
  
• 9 currently under construction
• 26 in pre-construction

Stoft said with the work already completed, the county will see savings of more than 6 million gallons of water per year.

“The participating homeowners have been resoundingly appreciative,” Stoft said. “The stress of having a septic system that is now in a lot of cases 40 and 50 years old, a bit of a ticking time bomb for some of these homeowners without the means of either replacing that or converting to municipal sewer service.”A news release from U.S. Rep. Susie Lee (D-Nev.) detailed how $21 million announced on Wednesday would be used:

• $13,270,000 is coming via the Clean Water State Revolving Fund — $1,054,000 of which will specifically address emerging contaminants such as PFAS in wastewater, stormwater, and nonpoint source pollution.
• $7,921,000 is coming via the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF), with the primary purpose of addressing emerging contaminants — including PFAS — in drinking water.

“Protecting our local water supply means making sure that Nevada’s water is clean and safe from harmful contaminants like PFAS,” Lee said.