Las Vegas Valley Water District helping customers afford leak repair
March 19, 2025
AWWA Articles
Las Vegas Valley Water District helping customers afford leak repair
To put a lid on water loss from residential leaks, the Las Vegas Valley Water District (LVVWD) in Nevada is offering two assistance programs to its customers.
Situated in the arid Mojave Desert, the City of Las Vegas pulls 90% of its drinking water from the drought-impacted Lake Mead in Arizona. LVVWD, the largest water utility in Southern Nevada, launched a Low-income Leak Repair Assistance program last fall for its customers that provides up to $7,500 for households with a gross income of at or below 80% of Clark County’s median income.
“We recognize that fixing leaks on the property can be quite expensive,” said J.C. Davis, director of customer care for LVVWD. “We’ve seen repair costs for some leaks reach $7,000. That high cost can really influence the homeowner’s response to fixing that leak. Sometimes homeowners decide to allow that leak to occur and pay the higher water bill because they don’t have [the money] to be able to make that kind of a repair quickly.”
Funding for the program comes from an excessive use charge, which LVVWD customers may incur if their water use exceeds certain seasonal thresholds. The utility partners with the City of Las Vegas, Plumbers/Pipefitters Local 525 and the United Labor Agency of Nevada to coordinate the repairs.
To date, the program has received about two dozen applications and saved thousands of gallons of water.
LVVWD also offers a Leak Repair Reimbursement Program, which pays qualified property owners up to half the cost to repair a leak (up to $1,000) if it is fixed within 60 days of detection.
“Expediency is really the objective here,” said Davis. “That’s the genesis for providing some of this financial assistance.”
The eligibility requirements for this program are:
- Only single-family residential property owners may apply.
- One-time reimbursement every 365 days from the last Leak Reimbursement Repair Program approval date.
- Repairs must be made within 60 days of the initial notification and water usage must reflect normal usage data for 14 calendar days.
- Applications must be submitted within 60 days of the repairs and cannot be submitted prior to repairs being made.
- Only paid invoices will be accepted.
- The minimum repair amount for submission is $200.
Fix a Leak Week, March 17-25, 2025, is an annual reminder to homeowners to look for and repair water leaks inside and outside their homes to save valuable water and money throughout the year.
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