NEW MEXICO / SAN MIGUEL COUNTY
Las Vegas
- Population (2020)
- 13,166
- Water cut
- June 21, 2024
- Cause
- wildfire
- Where
- 35.60°N, 105.22°W
- Official site
- City of Las Vegas, New Mexico
What happened, and when
Every dated water event the register holds for Las Vegas, newest first, each with the sources that document it.
- Incident
A main rupture drains a storage tank; month-long boil order
In February 2025 a main rupture drained a storage tank and put the whole system under a month-long boil order; Santa Fe sent water to the city.
- Santa Fe New Mexican (via Yahoo News): Santa Fe to send water to Las Vegas as city once again struggles with water supply (February 19, 2025)
- Restrictedon the card
Restricted: what happened
A June 21, 2024 flood off the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon burn scar fouled every one of the city's water sources; at the worst point the city had a day and a half of drinking water left, ordered all non-essential businesses closed, and trucked in 2.2 million gallons over two weeks before easing the mandatory restrictions through August. It was the city's second such emergency: on July 27, 2022 it declared a water emergency with fewer than 50 days of supply after fire runoff fouled the Gallinas River, and in February 2025 a main rupture drained a storage tank and put the whole system under a month-long boil order. The replacement treatment plant had not broken ground as of mid-2026.
- City of Las Vegas, New Mexico: PSA 7/7/24: Macro Companies transports 2.2 million gallons of potable water to the City of Las Vegas (July 7, 2024)
- NPR (via WAMC): A New Mexico city faces drinking water crisis following torrential rains and mudslides (July 3, 2024)
- New Mexico Environment Department (via nmlegis.gov): NMED disaster impacts on water systems (handout to the Water and Natural Resources Committee) (July 1, 2025)
- Restricted
Water emergency with fewer than 50 days of supply
On July 27, 2022 the city declared a water emergency with fewer than 50 days of supply after runoff from the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon fire fouled the Gallinas River; the governor declared a state of emergency and made $2.25 million available to protect drinking water.
- Office of the Governor of New Mexico: Governor declares state of emergency for City of Las Vegas, makes $2.25 million available to protect drinking water (July 29, 2022)