LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — President Donald Trump this week signed into law a bill that clears the way for a new water pipeline to serve Southern Nevada.

The White House said the president on Tuesday signed HR 972, also known as the Sloan Canyon Conservation and Lateral Pipeline Act, after it passed both houses of Congress.

The bill directs the Bureau of Land Management to grant rights-of-way to the Southern Nevada Water Authority for the construction of a water transmission pipeline. The new underground route is expected to save the residents in the region $200 million and ensure water delivery redundancy in the case of emergencies.

U.S. Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nevada, introduced the bill in the U.S. House and applauded its passage, calling it a critical step for ensuring Southern Nevada's water future.

"Southern Nevada is the epicenter of the climate crisis with rising temperatures and dwindling water resources.," Titus said in a statement Wednesday. "Our precious water supply must be protected. The Horizon Lateral pipeline strikes an important balance."

U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nevada, led the legislation in the Senate. She said nearly 3 million people in the Las Vegas valley rely on just one pipeline.

"That's a dangerous situation in which one system failure could cut off the water supply for close to 40 percent of Las Vegas residents and businesses," Cortez Masto said in a statement. "This law will increase the reliability of Southern Nevada's water supply for generations to come."

The bill also expands the boundaries of the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area in Clark County, adding nearly 9,300 acres to enhance the preservation of desert landscape and habitat.