Aug 24, 2026
Lehman Creek Community Breaks Ground on First Public Water System
BAKER, Nev. — After two decades of work to bring safe, reliable drinking water to their homes, residents of the Lehman Creek Residential Area joined state, federal, and local partners Saturday to celebrate the groundbreaking of the community’s first public drinking water system.
The new system will serve approximately 30 homes in Baker, NV, the gateway community to Great Basin National Park, that have never had access to public water service. The project will include two wells, storage tanks, distribution lines, and service connections to each home, with water expected to begin reaching residents in spring 2027.
For decades, residents have relied on a combination of private wells and water drawn directly from Lehman Creek. Some private wells have run shallow or dry, while other households pump water from the creek to their homes and boil it before use.
Residents first began pursuing a community water system in 2006. In 2022, the Baker Water and Sewer General Improvement District partnered with the Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC) at the request of the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) to move the project forward.
The project is funded entirely through state and federal grants, leaving no debt for the community to repay. Funding includes $1.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding administered by Conserve Nevada, $2.5 million through Nevada’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, $438,480 through the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act’s Small, Rural, and Tribal (SmaRT) Drinking Water Assistance Grant Program, and $3.8 million in congressionally directed spending.
“Access to drinking water is a basic necessity for every Nevadan, and I’ll keep working tirelessly to make sure all communities have access to safe, clean water,” said U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen. “I am proud to have helped secure millions of dollars in federal funding for the first public drinking water system for Lehman Creek Residential Area, bringing a much-needed resource to a community that had been waiting for years. As long as I’m in the Senate, I will continue fighting to make sure that every community in Nevada gets its fair share of federal resources.”
“Small rural communities can face significant challenges when it comes to developing and funding critical drinking water infrastructure,” said Jennifer Carr, Administrator of the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection. “Our team has helped the Baker community navigate those challenges throughout this process, and it is incredibly rewarding to see construction finally begin. Soon, these residents will have something every community deserves: safe, reliable drinking water in their homes.”
“This project wouldn’t be breaking ground without the hard work of our Treasurer, Terry Steadman, who has dedicated countless hours to this project,” said James Woolsey, Chairman of the Baker Water and Sewer General Improvement District. “Terry has worked through the many challenges over the years and remained committed to seeing this project through. We’re grateful for his dedication to bringing reliable drinking water to our community.”
"This has been a long hard road with a lot of twists and turns. Projects of this type are complex with many moving parts,” said Terry Steadman, Treasurer of the Baker Water and Sewer General Improvement District. “Working through the regulatory compliance issues and the endless red tape can be a daunting task. Simultaneously, you have to communicate and coordinate with numerous consultants to ensure that the project stays on track. Thanks to the support and dedication of our congressional delegation, DCNR, SRF, RCAC and the countless contributions made by volunteers, we were able to achieve our objectives."
Reaching the construction phase required years of work by the community and the organizations supporting the project. RCAC provided technical assistance with funding applications, board governance, environmental review, easement acquisition, and mapping of service lines, with support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law drinking water program. Baker Ranches Inc. donated land for the project.
Within NDCNR, Conserve Nevada manages the Department’s allocation of ARPA funding for water, conservation, recreation, and infrastructure projects, while NDEP administers Nevada’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and SUDC grant funding. Together, these programs help communities across Nevada access funding for critical water infrastructure projects.
