State makes LV wait for Coyote Springs water

Monday, March 11, 2002 | 11:08 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- The state engineer has issued a decision on Coyote Springs Valley that could slow the proposed development of a powerful lobbyist and thwart Las Vegas' plans to ship the valley's water south.

Hugh Ricci ruled Friday that no new water rights will be issued in Coyote Springs Valley for at least five years, but those with existing rights can begin pumping water in the area about 50 miles north of Las Vegas.

A study will be conducted over the next five years to see if drawing the 50,465 acre-feet already claimed will hurt the environment or other water rights, Ricci said.

The decision allows lobbyist and developer Harvey Whittemore to begin building the initial phases of his proposed golf course community in the valley that straddles the Clark-Nye County line.

But without more water, Whittemore, who already owns rights to 6,100 acre-feet in Coyote Springs, may have to scale back his plans. The developer had sought an additional 16,000 acre-feet to build a community of 50,000 homes.

An acre-foot is enough to supply a family of four for a year.

It also dampens plans by the Las Vegas Valley Water District to draw 27,500 acre-feet from the Coyote Springs Basin.

It temporarily puts on ice an agreement among Whittemore, the Water District, the Southern Nevada Water Authority and the Moapa Valley Water District that set ratios of how much each would get from the Coyote Springs Valley. However, an agreement for Whittemore to sell 1,100 acre-feet to the Las Vegas Valley Water District at $3,000 per acre-foot has been completed.

Ricci noted little solid information exists on the amount of water in the deep carbonate aquifers, and that he wanted more data before allowing additional pumping.

"This approach would hopefully avoid the havoc that could be created by the curtailment of water use by those who have come to rely on it if impacts occur requiring curtailment of the water use," Ricci wrote in his decision Friday.

Environmentalists praised the move as a way to ensure future water decisions in the valley are based on science.

John Hiatt, conservation chairman of the Red Rock Audubon Society, called the Ricci ruling "great news," though he would have rather seen the applications denied.

He said he was afraid that Ricci might permit the extra water to be drawn and ordered the water to be monitored at the same time. That was the approach the water district sought.

But once the water use starts, Hiatt said, it is nearly impossible to stop it.

"It is critical to do the testing first," Hiatt said. The Water District and Whittemore had no solid evidence to show their applications would not hurt the environment, he said.

The Red Rock Audubon Society had protested the application, as did the Sierra Club and the federal government.

Environmentalists argued if additional water is pumped from Coyote Springs, it might dry up Warm Springs, which supplies water to the Muddy River, Hiatt said. That could have meant the end of endangered species of fish in the river that flows through Moapa Valley on its way to Lake Mead.

Whittemore said Ricci's decision was expected.

"We have always advocated a go-slow approach," he said.

He said he could still be able to proceed with the initial phases of his development in 12 to 18 months, which include 2,000 homes. In addition to the 5,000 acre-feet he will retain, Whittemore said he has 8,600 acre-feet for temporary use from the Las Vegas Valley Water District for his Jack Nicklaus-designed golf courses.

Vince Alberta, a spokesman for the Las Vegas Valley Water District, called the decision responsible.

"One of the things discussed in the hearing is that monitoring is key to understanding the system," Alberta said. "This ruling will provide us the opportunity to begin collecting data to determine how much water is in the basin."

Ricci is going to set up a five-year study with the Las Vegas Valley Water District, the Southern Nevada Water Authority, Whittemore's Coyote Springs Investment, LLC, Nevada Power and the Moapa Valley Water District. They will monitor the effect of the water being drawn from existing permits.

So far, he said, there has been minimum pumping with the water permits already approved.