Editorial: Water district suspends for now its ‘water grab’

Thursday, April 8, 1999 | 11:45 a.m.

Water is the lifeblood of Southern Nevada. If there weren't assurances that there would be enough water to meet future needs, our economy would become stagnant -- if not worse. In an effort to ensure the valley's vitality, the Las Vegas Valley Water District in 1989 laid claim to 170,000 acre-feet of ground water in the rural counties of Lincoln, Nye and White Pine, hoping to pipe the water to Las Vegas.

The water district's move was derided as a "water grab" initiated by powerful business interests in Las Vegas that would -- if successful -- result in the economic death of these rural counties by depleting them of their water supply. This nasty dispute, though, appears to be ending.

The Las Vegas Valley Water District announced Tuesday it has reached a truce with the rural counties, agreeing to share the 170,000 acre-feet of unused ground water. The rural counties will get to use the water as long as they identify the need for it; in turn the unused water reverts back to the water district after five years. The need for the water has lessened now that the water district is investigating ways to use water from the Virgin and Muddy rivers to supplement the water district's share of the Colorado River.

The rural counties had been so angry that they had legislation drafted this year to ban the type of water transfers the water district was seeking. That bill likely will die now that this agreement has been reached. This is a reasonable compromise that should help heal a wound that has been festering for a decade.