Nevada Division of Environmental Protection - Office of Financial Assistance

Kyle Canyon Water District Improvement Project - Phase II

BACKGROUND

Kyle Canyon is approximately 6,800 feet above sea level atop Mount Charleston and is approximately 35 miles from downtown Las Vegas. Native Americans seasonally inhabited the site for thousands of years before the first residential establishment was built in 1915. Today, Kyle Canyon is a popular rural residential area, boasting over 300 homes. Kyle Canyon and the Mount Charleston areas are also desirable getaways for thousands of Las Vegas residents and tourist each year. The area provides popular year-round recreational opportunities include skiing, hiking, climbing and camping.

A steady increase in Kyle Canyon's residential activity led to the formation of a local water district to manage the area's permanent water supply and water distribution system. The Kyle Canyon Water District was formed on December 5, 1973, when Clark County adopted Ordinance Number 419 pursuant to NRS Chapter 318, General Improvement Districts. The district is administered by Clark County, but the water system has been maintained and operated by the Las Vegas Valley Water District (LVVWD) through a contract with Clark County since 1974.

In March 1996, the Board for Financing Water Projects (Board) awarded a grant to the Kyle Canyon Water District. The grant was amended by the Board in March 1998 and again in June 1999. The amended project included construction costs of: 6,720 feet of pipe; a pressure reducing valve; a booster station; a Rainbow well pump & motor; 2 new 125,000 gallon storage tanks; and New Echo Well 4 with chlorination.

An engineering evaluation originally published in March 2002 proposed a plan to address the remaining Kyle Canyon water system deficiencies. The plan included new and/or improved facilities to promote water conservation, protect water quality, aid in fire protection and provide necessary distribution system improvements for system reliability. The project was divided into three phases:

Phase I: Construct a new 300,000 gallon storage reservoir in the Echo View subdivision and construct Echo Well No. 5
Phase II: Install 367 water meters, 6,800 linear feet of pipeline for looping, a PRV at Old Town, and an altitude valve at Upper Rainbow Tank with an 8-inch bypass through Old Town
Phase III: Install 15,650 linear feet of pipeline

In March 2001, the Board approved a Letter of Intent submitted by the LVVWD for Kyle Canyon for the phased project outlined above. In June 2002, the Board awarded a grant for $811,156 (61.9% of the eligible project costs of $1,310,430) to the LVVWD for the Kyle Canyon Water District. The Phase I improvements were completed in the spring of 2006. This Phase I project increased the capacity and reliability in the Echo View portion of the water system.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The Las Vegas Valley Water District applied for a combined Phase II/III grant under the AB 198 program to assist the Kyle Canyon Water District with the water system improvements outlined in Phases II and III above. A grant was approved by the Board on November 9, 2006, for $3,202,511.74 (57.1% of eligible project costs estimated to be $5,608,602). This project includes: the installation of 235 meters and automatic meter-reading devices; 17,880 linear feet of 6, 8 and 10-inch pipeline to replace aged infrastructure; 2,650 linear feet of 6 and 8-inch pipeline to provide looping in the system; 2 PRVs and an altitude valve installation with associated pipeline in the Old Town area to allow for adequate supply to all areas of the water system during emergency conditions.

PROJECT STATUS

Due to the relatively short construction season in Kyle Canyon, the LVVWD chose to break up the construction over three summers. In 2008, replacement of old pipeline and pipeline to loop areas that were previously dead ends as well as 89 metered services were installed in the Echo View and Cathedral Rock subdivisions.

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Construction in the summer of 2009 will include replacement of old pipeline, metered services, a PRV and an altitude valve in the Old Town and Upper Rainbow subdivisions.