Pupfish could be player in battle for Yucca water

Thursday, Aug. 21, 2003 | 9:44 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- The tiny pupfish, an endangered species found at Devil's Hole in the Amargosa Valley, may play a part in whether the federal government gets water rights for the proposed nuclear repository at Yucca Mountain.

The U.S. Department of Energy wants to drill wells and pump water there for the repository.

But state Engineer Hugh Ricci expressed concern Wednesday for the fate of the pupfish if the drilling goes forward.

"There is a possible impact on Devil's Hole," Ricci said at the opening of the hearing on the application. "I've got a tough decision to make."

At least one of the wells is being drilled within 15 to 20 miles of the location of the pupfish. Ricci wanted to know why the National Park Service, which has authority over the area, didn't file a protest against the water applications of the Energy Department.

Charles Pettee, chief of water rights for the National Park Service, said the Energy Department has pledged to monitor any adverse impact on Devil's Hole and will have a mitigation plan.

He said because the Energy Department has made those promises, the park service decided not to protest the water application.

But Ricci and other members of the state engineer's staff noted that the Park Service has protested other applications for wells in that area. But Pettee said the park service did not treat the Energy Department's application any different from others.

Pettee said there were lots of people using water in that area but they were not monitoring the impact on Devil's Hole, as the Department of Energy has proposed.

In 2000, the National Park Service opposed plans for Yucca Mountain, saying that groundwater contaminated with radioactivity could flow 22 miles downhill from Yucca and affect the endangered species in Death Valley.

The Devil's Hole pupfish live on a water-covered shelf in a remote volcanic rock.

The hearing continues today. Ricci said it would probably be several months before any decision is made.