As in many other parts of the country, implementing a nutrient control program for wastewater treatment plants in the Las Vegas, Nevada, area has been a highly controversial issue. Part of the controversy stems from the fact that the operating costs alone associated with advanced wastewater treatment are several million dollars per year. As a result, two to three million dollars has been spent conducting technical studies to try to properly define nutrient requirements. Over the past 15 years, the dispute among federal, state, and local agencies continued waged and no final decision has yet been made regarding effluent limitations. This paper concentrates on the technical methods used in defining nutrient control requirements as part of the Las Vegas Valley Water Quality Program, as these methods have considerable application to nutrient control in Georgia and the rest of the southeast.