LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — A group of homeowners has filed a class-action lawsuit against the Las Vegas Valley Water District, alleging the agency has imposed excessive water use charges without due process while residents watch their yards, trees, and plants die.
The lawsuit came into focus this week at a Las Vegas Valley Water District Board of Directors meeting, where residents raised concerns about how water is being used and how the district is billing for it.
Residents describe rising bills, dying plants
Carol Reynolds, a resident who spoke at the meeting, said she received a water bill totaling $685.95, adding that despite the cost, the tree in her front courtyard is dead.
“I could take you on a tour of all the other nearly dead plants and trees that I have gardened for 36 years, but you obviously could care less,” Reynolds said.
Resident Eric King said the valley’s tree loss has been significant. “We’re probably missing more than a million trees that would be existing right now in our valley if we had attended to that many years ago,” King said.
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Lawsuit details the charges
According to the lawsuit, the Las Vegas Valley Water District has collected more than $96 million from residential users since the excess use fee began in 2023. The suit contends that money should be returned to homeowners.
The lawsuit states the charges are assessed “automatically, without due process: no notice, hearing, or any opportunity to contest the fines,” and that the district “threatens to terminate essential water service to the home if a Resident fails to pay.”
The filing further states the action “challenges governmental overreach and abuse of power in the name of water policy,” arguing the fines are ones “the Nevada Legislature never authorized LVVWD to impose.”
District responds
A spokesperson for the Las Vegas Valley Water District said the agency cannot comment on the lawsuit but provided a statement: “The excessive use charge applies to a small percentage of the highest residential water users whose outdoor water use is significantly higher than community norms. We remain committed to working with our customers to help them reduce water use through education, rebates, leak assistance, and other regional conservation programs.”
State law adds pressure
The lawsuit also points to a new state law taking effect at the end of the year that mandates the removal of non-functional grass anywhere served by the Southern Nevada Water Authority, with the exception of single-family homes. The suit contends that between the district’s water policy charging excess use fees and the new law, the green spaces of Las Vegas are disappearing, leaving behind a hotter, drier city.
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