Nevada official says fuss just election year bickering

Wednesday, Oct. 7, 1998 | 12:20 p.m.

Pat Mulroy, general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, said a recent spat between the Arizona governor and her Democratic challenger is "just politics."

Nevada wants to work a deal with Arizona to store unused Colorado River water in Arizona acquifers, prompting charges that the governor was selling water rights for campaign contributions.

"The accusation against the governor was that she was giving away Arizona's water rights," Mulroy said. "That's not anywhere near what the the banking proposal envisions. Arizona maintains the water rights. They're not giving up their rights. This is just someone trying to politicize the situation."

In a televised debate Sunday night, Democrat Paul Johnson suggested that, by accepting money from a developer at a Las Vegas fund-raiser in July, Republican Gov. Jane Hull may have compromised her ability to manage Arizona's water.

"Las Vegas is out of water. They need ours badly," said Johnson who is trailing Hull badly in recent polls. "She ought to tell us she isn't going to give one drop of Arizona water to Nevada."

Hull angrily denied Johnson's allegations and said water "is Arizona's gold. It is not to be traded. It will never be sold. It will not leave Arizona - ever - under my leadership or any other governor's leadership."

The issue is a water banking program authorized by the Arizona Legislature two years ago. That program, already started, has Arizona Arizona storing surplus water from its Colorado River allotment in underground aquifers.

Under a plan still being discussed, Nevada would pay Arizona to also store Nevada's surplus Colorado River water. In the future, when Nevada needed water beyond its own river allocation, it would pay Arizona to use the banked water and then Nevada would draw the same amount from Lake Mead.

Southern Nevada water officials view the banking plan as a critical bridge between existing water supplies, which are expected to reach capacity by 2008, and permanent additions to that supply, which have not yet been identified.