Waste more water, pay more in 2023 under new water rates in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - Water wasters will pay the price for excessive water usage in 2023, under new guidelines from the Las Vegas Valley Water District.

The Las Vegas Valley Water District comprises households in the City of Las Vegas and unincorporated Clark County, or 70% of residents in the Valley. Most homes consume or use 10,000 to 11,000 gallons of water a month.

The district released 2023 guidelines for tiered water usage per day, month and season. Those who use over 20,000 gallons a month will face the heaviest costs.

“This charge is really geared toward the top 10% of our water users in the residential sector. It’s that top 10% of water users that consume 30% of all of the water. They have relatively large properties that are grass dominant landscapes, they have swimming pools or multiple swimming pools, they are very slow to change their sprinkler clocks when the seasonal watering restrictions changes,” said Bronson Mack of the LVVWD.

Mack said the changes are meant to be an incentive for wasteful users to think about conservation.

“Water that we use outdoors, we only get to use once. The water we use indoors, we get to reclaim it, treat it and safely return it back to Lake Mead,” Mack said.

The changes come as Southern Nevada must decrease consumption of water by 8 billion gallons in 2023, up from 7 billion gallons in 2022.

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