Yucca Mountain Groundwater Impact

Yucca Mountain, located approximately 70 miles northwest of Las Vegas, sits within the hydrographic basin. It is being studied by the U.S. Department of Energy for long-term storage of radioactive materials.

According to a study by the U.S. Geologic Survey (USGS), groundwater flowing from that basin travels away from the Las Vegas Valley. The rate of flow for groundwater in that area is very slow. It takes hundreds of years for the groundwater to travel a mile.

Because the water flows away from Las Vegas, it poses no threat to Southern Nevada's groundwater supply.