Construction of the US $650m water pumping station at Lake Mead has been completed after nearly five years of construction. The Southern Nevada Water Authority, along with contractor Barnard of Nevada, Inc., announced the completion of the Low Lake Level Pumping Station.
Acocording to the authority, the million dollar project was finished on time and came in under budget, marking a big step in new infrastructure that is critical in preserving reliable water delivery for the valley.
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Lake Mead water pumping station
The station consists of 34 submersible pumps located in shafts that are six feet in diameter. These shafts extend 500 feet to a 12,500-square-foot underground cavern. This cavern, called a forebay, is linked by a tunnel to a third water intake, which is at the 860-foot elevation within Lake Mead.
The pumping station holds a capacity to deliver 900 million gallons of water per day to two of SNWA’s treatment facilities. This part of the lake provides 90% of Southern Nevada’s water.
The intake, ensures that Southern Nevada will still have access to the lake’s precious water supply even if levels drop below the other two intakes located at 1,000- and 1,050-foot elevations. This protects the community from drought conditions as well as customers from water quality issues related to dropping lake levels.
“As drought conditions throughout the Colorado River Basin have caused Lake Mead’s water levels to decline over the past two decades, this pump station is a critical component of our infrastructure network that enables us to continue delivering drinking water to our community well into the future,” said SNWA General Manager John Entsminger.
