LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Sen. Jacky Rosen introduced bipartisan legislation Thursday to protect drinking water infrastructure during extreme heat emergencies.
Rosen, a Democrat, co-introduced the Protecting America’s Drinking Water from Extreme Temperatures Act with Republican Sen. John Curtis of Utah. The bill would make extreme temperatures an eligible condition for public water systems to apply for EPA money.
The legislation builds on Rosen’s effort to bring federal dollars to southern Nevada for heat emergencies. After events like fires, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes, the president can declare a natural disaster area, meaning federal dollars are immediately available for help. That is not yet the case for extreme heat waves.
Heat threatens water infrastructure
Communities facing extreme temperatures are vulnerable to drinking water contamination and interruptions, Rosen said. Rapid temperature changes can weaken underground drinking water pipes, and extreme heat can warm drinking water enough to grow toxic microorganisms and expose the water to plastic or metal pollutants from overheated pipes.
“Extreme heat kills in the same way that extreme cold does. We have vulnerable populations,” Rosen told FOX5.
Southern Nevada experienced record heat in 2024, when the temperature in Las Vegas reached 120 degrees and 112 days reached triple digits. During that period, 527 southern Nevadans died from heat-related causes.
MORE ON FOX5: Nevada lawmaker seeks to classify extreme heat as federal disaster to bring emergency funding to state
The Las Vegas Valley Water District expressed support for the legislation though Bronson Mack, outreach manager for the Southern Nevada Water Authority, said southern Nevada is built to withstand extreme heat.
“When you look at our local water system, you know, pipelines are usually buried to a depth where they can be within the cooler soils,” Mack said.
“There is no doubt that Southern Nevada’s water system is among the most reliable in the country. I mean, our occurrences of water main failures, water main breaks is 8 times below the national average,” Mack said.
Southern Nevada water systems have been impacted by natural disasters in the past. In 2023, a tropical storm did damage to the Kyle Canyon water system and left those living on Mt. Charleston with no clean drinking water for weeks.
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