North Las Vegas, county approve deal on pipeline

Clark County commissioners and North Las Vegas City Council members on Wednesday unanimously approved an agreement that would build a pipeline and stop the city's discharge of treated wastewater into a county storm channel.

The agreement ends the legal battle between the entities and relieves residents in the area from swarms of bugs attracted to the wastewater.

"We've gotten to the point where I'm comfortable with this settlement agreement and appreciate that the County Commission approved it today unanimously," North Las Vegas Mayor Shari Buck said Wednesday night. "It's a complicated issue, but let me remind all of us that had we gone forward with the original plan we would have spent between $48 (million) and $80 million on the original pipeline. This gets us down to $15 million."

Under the deal, the county will manage, design and construct a five-mile-long pipe along the Sloan Channel from the city's wastewater treatment plant on Nellis Air Force Base to an area where the channel meets the Las Vegas Wash.

The county will spend $7 million on the project, with the city repaying it over the next 10 years. The city will pay another $8 million to build the pipe, pay $1.5 million for roadways or other improvements, and provide landscaping at Betty Lane and Carey Avenue.

Officials estimate the pipeline could take 18 months or longer to complete.

County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani praised the deal and hoped it will be a lesson for other governments.

North Las Vegas officials never sought the county's permission before releasing effluent into the concrete trench in June 2011. But Buck said she still thinks North Las Vegas' position in the disagreement was correct.

"We believed, we still believe, that we have the right to discharge, but we didn't need to be spending taxpayers money to be fighting this out in court," she said. "Reaching a settlement is the best way to go for all concerned."

Councilman Wade Wagner said his biggest fear was that the issue would reach a judge who would tell North Las Vegas that they couldn't discharge the water.

"It helps the city. It helps everybody."

Las Vegas View reporter Laura Phelps contributed to this report. Contact reporter Lawrence Mower at lmower@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0440.