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Despite its reputation as “Sin City,” Las Vegas and its surrounding communities house nearly three million people. This desert landscape may not be rich in rain, but its proximity to Lake Mead allows most of its residents to draw their drinking water from the lake. Still, many speculate if Las Vegas drinking water is actually safe to drink, especially out of the tap.
Las Vegas tap water is safe to drink, but it may contain many contaminants that you might not want to drink. According to the Las Vegas Valley Water District, their water “meets or surpasses all State of Nevada and Federal Safe Drinking Water Act standards” (1). Most tap water is drawn from deep within Lake Mead, and it is supplemented with groundwater drawn from an aquifer. Lake Mead is supplied water from the Colorado River, which receives most of its water from snowmelt from the Rocky Mountains.
Diving deep into the water quality report shows various shortcomings to Las Vegas’s drinking water (2). (If you need extra help reading a water quality report, check out thisblog.)
First, levels of copper in Las Vegas drinking water are higher than the goal set by the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA’s copper limit in drinking water is 1.3 parts per billion, but copper found in the city’s drinking water is 2.3 parts per billion (2). Copper can typically enter the water supply through the erosion of natural deposits, or through copper corroding from pipes in the house.
Many healthy people do not experience negative health effects due to consuming copper, and your body actually needs a little bit of copper to stay healthy. However, the overconsumption of copper has been linked to headaches, vomiting, diarrhea, liver damage, and kidney disease (3). Some demographics, including babies and people with Wilson’s disease, are more susceptible to the negative effects of copper.
Additionally, while Las Vegas drinking water does meet the EPA requirements for nitrate in the water, there are still small amounts of nitrate found in the water. The Las Vegas Valley Water District notes that, “Nitrate in drinking water at levels above 10 ppm is a health risk for infants of less than six months of age” (2). Infants are at risk of blue baby syndrome from nitrates, which typically enter the water supply due to agricultural runoff or rainfall (4).
Trihalomethanes, more commonly known as TTHMs, are a group of chemicals that are considered dangerous when present in high quantities of drinking water (5). TTHMs are formed when water is treated with certain disinfectants, like chlorine. Adding chlorine to water is an effective disinfectant for ridding water of amoebas and parasites, but it comes with the added risk of producing TTHMs.
Almost all water treated with chlorine contains some level of TTHMs. Las Vegas is not immune to these chemicals, and reports note that Las Vegas water contains up to 341 times the legal amount of TTHMs allowed in drinking water (6). In doing so, Las Vegas citizens and hotel-goers alike were increasingly at risk for problems associated with their kidneys, livers, and central nervous systems.
Lead, arguably one of the most dangerous contaminants found in tap water, is a heavy metal that occurs naturally in the earth’s crust. Lead is used in a variety of industries, but its use in pipes in particular has had lasting impacts on Las Vegas. Currently, there are about nine thousand lead service lines in Nevada, all which put households at risk of lead poisoning (7). When water runs through lead pipes and other lead plumbing fixtures, corrosion can cause the lead to leach into the drinking water (8). This results in higher levels of lead in Las Vegas drinking water than the legal EPA limits (2).
Lead poisoning is a serious illness that can affect all demographics. In adults, lead poisoning is connected to high blood pressure, decreased kidney function, and reproductive issues. In children under six, lead poisoning can be linked to behavior and learning problems, slowed growth, hearing issues, and anemia.
Despite Las Vegas drinking water containing harmful contaminants, you do not need to switch to exclusively bottled water. There is a safe and easy way to remove contaminants from your tap water and enjoy safe drinking water once again. Investing in a high quality water pitcher will allow you to use the tap water in your home and create contaminant-free drinking water. Seychelle’s Gen 2 Dual Regular Water Pitcher, for example, is independently lab-tested to remove chemical contaminants like TTHMs and inorganic contaminants like nitrates, copper, and lead.
Despite Las Vegas’s drinking water coming from Lake Mead, it still leaves a bit to be desired. Its water has been found to contain levels of lead, TTHMs, and copper above the safe drinking level. Consuming excessive amounts of chemicals and metals in your water can lead to serious health defects in both children and adults. To avoid the negative repercussions of drinking Las Vegas tap water, consider investing in an effective water filter.
Can I drink the tap water in Las Vegas?
Technically, Las Vegas tap water meets most of the EPA clean drinking water requirements, but quarterly testing of Las Vegas water proves that it is not consistent in meeting the highest standards. It is recommended to drink bottled or filtered water in Las Vegas.
How is the water quality in Las Vegas?
Las Vegas drinking water meets most requirements, but it contains excess levels of copper, lead, and TTHMs that make it unsafe to drink.
Is it OK to drink the water from Las Vegas hotel rooms?
No. It is recommended to drink bottled or filtered water in Las Vegas.
References
Las Vegas Valley Water District,https://www.lvvwd.com/water-quality/facts/index.html#:~:text=Southern%20Nevada's%20water%20supply%20meets,and%20federal%20drinking%20water%20standards.
Las Vegas Valley Water District,https://www.lvvwd.com/water-quality/reports/las-vegas-valley.html#Footnotes
Minnesota Department of Health,https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/water/contaminants/copper.html
Environmental Protection Agency,https://www.epa.gov/mn/what-are-possible-health-effects-nitrate-exposure
Florida Department of Health,https://www.floridahealth.gov/environmental-health/drinking-water/_documents/thms-fs-2017.pdf
Environmental Working Group,https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/system.php?pws=NV0000090
Isabel Soisson,The Nevadan,https://thenevadannews.com/2023/12/04/biden-wants-to-replace-all-lead-pipes-in-nevada-within-10-years/
Nevada Division of Environmental Protection,https://ndep.nv.gov/water/drinking-water/information-for-consumers/lead-faq
