Agency begins plans for sale of land acquired in water rights program

Tuesday, Dec. 15, 1998 | 1:59 a.m.

Richard Grimes is project leader for the Fish and Wildlife Service. He said details of how the property sales will be conducted and who will get a chance to make offers have not been finalized.

But he said the agency's mandate is to turn over the real estate and put the money back into the water rights program.

Grimes did not rule out exchanges for land with water rights of equal, adding that a round of workshops is being planned for February.

The agency was authorized this year to sell surplus property not needed for Stillwater Wildlife Refuge.

In most government land disposals, other federal agencies, Indian tribes and local governments can get land at little or nominal cost. But Fish and Wildlife wants to recoup money on the property to put back into the water rights program.

To date, the federal government and Nevada have acquired about 28,000 acre-feet of water from farms in the Newlands Project.

Federal officials have said the goal of 75,000 acre-feet, enough to sustain about 25,000 acres of wetlands, could take 20 years to accomplish.