Intake No. 3
More than 1,000 concrete trucks were
transported to the intake site on 143 barges.
In order to address unprecedented drought conditions and provide long-term protection of Southern Nevada's primary water storage reservoir—Lake Mead—the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) Board of Directors in May 2005 approved the construction of a new drinking water intake.
In March 2012, the concrete pour for the structure of Intake No. 3 was completed two and a half miles off the shore of Lake Mead over a period of 12 days. To get the concrete to its location, 1,086 concrete trucks were carried on 143 barges. Approximately 12,000 cubic yards of concrete was pumped to the underwater site, 390 feet below the surface.
Scheduled for completion in 2014, Intake No. 3 will maintain SNWA's ability to draw upon Colorado River water at lake elevations as low as 1,000 feet above sea level, assuring system capacity if lake levels fell low enough to put Intake No. 1 out of service. It also will protect municipal water customers from water quality issues associated with declining lake levels.
Once completed, Intake No. 3 will connect with the existing Intake No. 2 to convey water to SNWA's water treatment facilities.
