Sandy Valley fighting to to hold onto water

Tuesday, July 16, 2002 | 9:46 a.m.

Two sides in a battle over water in a small community 40 miles southwest of Las Vegas are asking a state court to referee their fight.

Both Vidler Water Co. and residents of Sandy Valley are unhappy with a June 12 decision by Nevada State Engineer Hugh Ricci to grant Vidler 500 acre-feet per year from the valley's underground aquifer.

Vidler says it needs more water to supply a planned community to house residents who work at hotels in Primm. Sandy Valley residents argue that even 500 acre-feet will make wells go dry in their community.

The company asked for 1,400 acre-feet a year to serve a community of 5,000 expected for the Primm area by 2020. One acre-foot is about 326,000 gallons, or about enough water for a typical family for one year.

According to the 2000 census, Sandy Valley has fewer than 2,000 residents.

District Court in Las Vegas will have to schedule a trial date. Susan Joseph-Taylor, in the Division of Water Resource's Carson City office, said the date has not been scheduled and the issue could take months or years for a resolution.

A court case means that Ricci's decision is up for grabs. Either side could win or lose water. The court could grant Vidler part or all of what is asked for, or even reduce the appropriation to zero.

"That's something that could happen, but we believe that we are on solid legal ground here and that's not likely to happen," Vidler spokesman Tom Bradley said of the possibility that the appropriation could be reduced.

Byron Miles, attorney for the Sandy Valley residents, said they understand they could lose a court battle but believe they can reduce the appropriation in court.

Since Vidler also filed an appeal, "they had nothing to lose," Miles said. "But even if Vidler hadn't filed an appeal, they would have anyway."