A massive multibillion-dollar pipeline project aimed at securing the water supply for nearly a million residents in Henderson and the southern Las Vegas Valley is moving forward following crucial federal approval.

With the details set to be unveiled on Friday in a press briefing,  the Horizon Lateral Program initiated by the Southern Nevada Water Authority, will construct a massive transmission pipeline to provide critical redundancy to a regional network built before much of the valley's rapid development.

Estimated to cost between $2 billion and $2.7 billion, the program will be funded locally through regional developer connection fees alongside infrastructure and commodity charges paid by Southern Nevada water users.

Currently, about 40% of the region’s drinking water relies entirely on a single pipeline, the South Valley Lateral. The new Horizon Lateral pipeline will interconnect the authority’s east and west valley distribution networks to prevent future service disruptions if the primary line fails.

The project faced years of delays until recent federal legislation resolved complications over routing infrastructure beneath the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area. Sponsored by U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto and Rep. 

Dina Titus, House Resolution 972 directs the Bureau of Land Management to grant the necessary construction rights-of-way while simultaneously expanding the conservation area's boundaries.

Officials emphasized that the pipeline expansion will not alter Southern Nevada's conservation initiatives or its water allocations from the Colorado River. Instead, the infrastructure is strictly designed to improve system capacity and operational flexibility during emergencies or maintenance outages.

Key pipeline components include a new transmission line and pumping station for southeastern Henderson, a separate transmission pipeline and reservoir for the southern valley, and new pressure-regulating valves to stabilize the grid.

Cortez Masto, Titus, Gov. Joe Lombardo, SNWA Chair Marilyn Kirkpatrick, and Henderson Mayor Michelle Romero are scheduled to speak at Friday's announcement.