Washoe County squeezing water from Storey, Churchill counties

Sunday, July 23, 2000 | 1:02 a.m.

The issue comes on the heels of the 1996 Water Quality Agreement among the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, Reno, Sparks, the Department of the Interior, Sierra Pacific Power, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Nevada Department of Environmental Protection.

Under the agreement, Reno and Sparks must reserve a portion of their water rights to ensure the quality and flow of the water in the Truckee River.

Instead of using existing water, Reno and Sparks officials are buying water in Storey and Churchill counties to meet their obligation.

"We bought the Ferretto farm (in Storey County) early this year. We are also trying to buy the McCarran Ranch," said Bill Isaeff, Sparks assistant city manager. He noted that the ranch is primarily in Washoe County.

Ranchers won't sell the water rights alone, and a ranch can't operate without water rights. So the land is resold separately, primarily for residential use. He said the actual acreage in Storey County has been small.

But Storey County Commissioner Charles Haynes said small ranches can have extensive water rights, so the acreage isn't the real issue.

The purchase of ranch lands, together with the water rights, is detrimental to the future of Storey County, he said.

"It seriously affects our master plan, which is very clear about preserving agricultural areas," Haynes said.

"This is the only part of Storey with agricultural land, and they're killing our agriculture to feed their casinos."

Churchill County Manager Bjorn Selinder points the finger at growth in the Truckee Meadows. Reno and Sparks have a wastewater treatment facility with maximum capacity of 40 million gallons per day. Treated water from the plant flows into the Truckee River.

Explosive growth in the Truckee Meadows and the increase of wastewater into the river means Washoe County must dedicate a portion of its water rights to ease that impact.

Those water rights are acquired more cheaply in areas outside of the Truckee Meadows, like the Swingle Bench area in Churchill County and along the Truckee in Storey County.

Isaeff said about $2 million has been spent for agricultural land with water rights and most has been in Churchill County.

Selinder calls the purchases a tragedy and said they are taking a toll.

"Under the agreement, upstream interests were to provide $12 million, and the federal government was to match that money to acquire 24,000 acre-feet of water rights with no provision made for mitigating problems in this community," he said.

Selinder said the water table has dropped to the point that ground cover and large established cottonwood trees are dying.

"Things are dying on the (Swingle) Bench. It's a serious, pathetic situation, all in the name of environmental concern. No one questioned the legality, nor were they concerned about the impact to communities downstream."

State Engineer Hugh Ricci said there is nothing illegal about the practice.

"Any water rights can be purchased. Buying and selling is between those parties," Ricci said.

But Selinder said the practice amounts to a type of coercion because when one rancher sells out, it places an increased burden on neighbors.

"Cost to maintain irrigation systems is concentrated on a narrowing base of users and persons who pay for maintenance of those facilities," he said. "It squeezes ranchers and farmers harder."