Rights-of-Way and Easements

Rights-of-way are areas of developed or undeveloped land where the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) has obtained permission to install, maintain and operate pipelines and other facilities that will provide reliable water service to the community.

The Water Authority carefully studies all project elements to ensure that local, state and federal standards are met. Once alignments and locations of planned facilities have been determined, necessary rights-of-way are identified and obtained.

The types of rights-of-way usually pursued by the Water Authority are permanent and temporary construction easements. Other types of rights may be needed in special situations.

Permanent Easements

Permanent easements are a type of right-of-way usually obtained in areas where facilities will be constructed and maintained indefinitely. In the case of a permanent easement, the landowner retains title to the property, but grants exclusive rights to SNWA to access the specified area. 

Temporary Construction Easements

A temporary construction easement may be needed for a specified period of time to provide additional working space during construction. No permanent facilities are installed in temporary construction easements. The landowner retains title to the property, but grants exclusive rights to the Water Authority to access the specified area during the stated time period. At the end of the specified time period, the Water Authority relinquishes its rights to the area.