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Stumble25 years out, no end in sight to water pipeline fight
Southern Nevada Water Authority General Manager Pat Mulroy has long backed a water pipeline from White Pine County to Las Vegas.
Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009 | 2 a.m.
Water Gauge
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del.icio.usSun Archives
- Authority reaffirms support for water pipeline (8-20-2009)
- Utah, Nevada draft water agreement (8-13-2009)
- Q&A: Pat Mulroy (5-1-2009)
- State delays hearing on Southern Nevada's groundwater pipeline (4-24-2009)
If water wars were still fought with bullets, the Southern Nevada Water Authority would have just unsnapped its holsters.
Facing scores of angry eastern Nevadans saying their way of life was being placed in jeopardy, the water authority’s board of directors instructed its staff on Thursday to continue working on permits to build a 300-plus-mile pipeline so water from the Great Basin can be drawn south.
The vote and the four-hour hearing that accompanied it were unnecessary. But it was a public demonstration that the water authority’s general manager, Pat Mulroy, had gathered a formidable posse — one with the political clout and financial backing to counter the mounting opposition to her proposed pipeline from White Pine County.
“The rhetoric (of opponents) has been that the new board doesn’t support us and this move,” Mulroy said after the vote. “It’s important to take this position to continue the process because we still have millions to spend in this permitting process.”
As in a scene from an old John Wayne movie, adversaries had queued up on each side of a line drawn in sand.
A cadre of developers and business advocates voiced their support of the pipeline, countering the arguments of environmentalists, national parks advocates, American Indians, and residents who say their livelihoods would be threatened by plans to pump 50,000 acre-feet of water from their rural Snake Valley basin to Las Vegas.
The mood was tense, but participants were polite in the main meeting room where about 100 people found seats or space along the walls. Another 170 filled a second room in the Molasky Corporate Center and a room at the county Government Center down the street where live feeds were provided.
At least for the crowd in the water authority boardroom, it was wedding-style seating: split down the middle. Dozens of union workers, their hard hats beneath their seats, filled the back rows for the first two hours, drinking coffee and answering cell phones. They were there to show support for the pipeline, which they believe will put hundreds of their peers to work.
In the front of the room sat dozens of nervous and angry Snake Valley residents who endured a six-hour bus rides across the state to be at the meeting. Some of them brought their grandchildren; others called on the water authority to think of its political legacy. A woman cried because she would have no where to go if the project’s worst projections come true and the valley is sucked dry.
None of the arguments were new. But both sides wanted to weigh in one more time to show they have not lost their passion over the project that’s been in the works for a quarter century.
The Bureau of Land Management, the agency that will decide whether the pipeline gets built if the water authority can acquire water rights in Snake Valley, expects to release its environmental impact statement on the project early next year for public comment.
The water authority has acquired or purchased water rights in four out of five basins from which it has requested water. Much of the opposition comes from the fifth: Snake Valley, a high desert enclave of farmers and ranchers who live on the Utah-Nevada border in the shadow of Great Basin National Park. A recently proposed agreement between Utah and Nevada over use of water in the basin would require the Southern Nevada Water Authority to not pursue water rights in Snake Valley for 10 years.
And that’s OK with Mulroy, because she says the pipeline may not be built for 10 years anyway.
With growth in the Las Vegas Valley stunted by the recession, demand for water to fuel growth is on hold. But because of the continuing drought along the Colorado River basin, the water authority says water from eastern Nevada may eventually be needed to sustain Las Vegas.
With Thursday’s vote, the water authority will keep spending millions of dollars to pay for the environmental studies ordered by the BLM to assess the effects of the pipeline and how to offset them. Had the board voted no, years of work by Mulroy’s staff to find water and secure the water rights in other parts of Nevada for taps in Southern Nevada would have been for naught and she would have had to go back to the drawing board.
Mulroy says the project won’t be built unless it’s “absolutely necessary,” but even that’s a changing concept.
“This ground water project has been around for a long time,” Mulroy said at the meeting. “It has changed character and purpose many times over.”
Two years ago, Mulroy said the pipeline was needed to support Las Vegas’ growth. Then the development bubble burst, taking thousands of Las Vegas families down with it. Today, the developers still say they need the water for future development, but Mulroy says the pipeline is the valley’s guarantee of a stable water supply.
The water level at Lake Mead, source of 90 percent of our water, has dropped 100 feet in the past decade, and global warming models predict continued and worsening drought conditions along the Colorado River over the next 50 to 100 years. Anticipating that, the water authority is building a third and deeper intake, or straw, to pump water from the lake. But if lake levels drop to the point where that intake is needed, Nevada’s rationed share of the lake’s water could be cut, leading to more severe conservation measures and rationing.
Conservationists say the city can grow without more water. Basic water saving measures such as the water authority’s popular cash-for-turf program have significantly cut water use. Mandating pool cover use, providing rebates for installing low-flow toilets and faucets or requiring water conserving technology in new developments would be cheaper, easier and have a greater effect, said Scott Rutledge, executive director of the Nevada Conservation League.
But the pipeline has 25 years of momentum behind it, and the water authority seems intent on building it whether Las Vegas needs it or not, opponents said.
“This phrase ‘absolutely necessary’ keeps coming up, but no one wants to define what that really means,” said pipeline foe Launce Rake, spokesman for the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada. “For some developers who want to build half a dozen golf courses, absolutely necessary was yesterday. But I don’t think your average Las Vegan shares that definition.”
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this is a case of postponing a problem by throwing more money at it. instead of finding a permanent solution the water authority is pushing the problem back until the pipeline runs dry. rationing water would be the LAST step they would take but it should be the first thing they do before building a pipeline.
I agree with water rationing, changing our lifestyles to properly reflect the fact that we are desert dwellers, etc. Nonetheless, it seems to me that Vegas provides some of the biggest tax revenues for this state. A whole lot of people who do not live here benefit from the money that flows through here. I don't recall any of them complaining about sharing that.
I think both Dipstick and Teaser are correct; we are indeed "desert dwellers" and every drop of water must be precious to us now.
I was born near the "29 Palms" military reservation in California and lived in LV before moving to North Carolina; here, in spite of persistent drought conditions, people water their lawns until there wells run dry and then they dig deeper.
My family and I brought the desert with us in our souls; we are actively engaged in statewide water conservation and our efforts are beginning to pay off.
The real question for the SN Water Authority is: How long will the so called "economic downturn" last and how will it affect water consumption over the long term?
This is a hard shot to call; it seems to me that the SNWA will be judged wrong no matter what steps are taken.
I-Team: Deals for Coyote Springs Raise Questions
Chief Investigative Reporter George Knapp
"I didn't create the community. I didn't sell the land to the developer. It happened. Our problem is we have to deal with it," said General Manager Pat Mulroy, Southern Nevada Water Authority.
When water authority boss Pat Mulroy says she had little to do with the plans for a boomtown in Coyote Springs, she's being a bit too modest. Without her help -- and that of many other public officials -- Harvey Whittemore's grandiose vision could never have moved forward.
The Clark County Commission, Lincoln County Commission, state legislature, and Nevada congressional delegation have all pitched in with favors for the project. Nevada Senator Harry Reid has helped lead the way and all of those public entities have praised the project over and over.
http://www.lasvegasnow.com/Global/story....
When federal agencies looked at the potential effects of pumping just the water district's claims, they found it would be devastating to the environment. A 1995 United States Geological Survey study of groundwater pumping throughout rural Nevada predicted a drop in the water table of several hundred feet. The Department of Interior filed a protest in 1998 because it said pumping could wipe out the habitat of endangered species like the Moapa Dace. Yet, overnight, the agencies backed off and agreed to allow SNWA to monitor itself.
http://www.lasvegasnow.com/Global/story....
Stop the growth while we still have water. No more building permits for homes, casinos and retail space. We have enought built for several years. No more lawns for homes and water guzzling plants. Connect any possible future growth with the availabilty of water. Stealing water from Northern Nevada is not the solution.
Who ever said the SNWA board, hand-picked by Mulroy, didn't support the Water Grab?
The one public official who has had the courage to buck Mulroy was County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani, whose brave vote against spending many millions to buy White Pine ranches - wildly beyond their appraised value, in an effort to shut up the ranchers - was rewarded by howls of outrage from the local developers, and quickly kicked off the board.
By the way, before the vote SNWA board members insisted this wasn't a gree light for the Water Grab, but an OK to do more studies. Now Mulroy says the vote means it is full steam aheazd and no stopping the pipeline. Once again, Mulroy tells her board members what they are doing, not vice versa.
Landscape water is indeed an emergency pool which would be available for redistribution in a genuine emergency, not the ginned up chicken little pseudo emergency of today advocated by SNWA and eagerly endorsed by lapdog environmentalists.
Drying up the landscape pool then selling the excess water to developers for unbridled growth lays the groundwork for a real emergency. Every drop of water thus "saved" goes to more growth. None of that diverted water will preserve a single ranch in the Snake Valley, save even one endangered posy nor long rest in Lake Mead for "emergency" use.
Homeowners are being duped and robbed when they convert their landscaping for pennies from the Water Authority which then resells that water to a developer for big but still undervalued dollars. Converting to Xeriscape saves nothing, in fact it has the opposite effect. Grow a tree, prevent a condo, plant grass and you create of pool of water which can be shared in real emergencies.
Homeowners who choose to Xeriscape should be able to sell their "saved" water to the highest bidder or designate it for use in a true emergency conservation pool or dedicate it as replacement water in specific basin skeletonized by Pat's Neutron Pipeline.
as for Coyote Springs the SNWA..aka Pat Mulroy and her cronies will end up buying the whole lot. Rumor has it, up here, it's a given. Who in there right mind would drive 90 miles into he$$ and play golf.? It's pretty sad when big bucks talk and all the BS goes alone with it and then nothing for the county, more then half of it is in. Lincoln Co is just sitting on their tushes, waiting for the Coyote Springs to haul in the buck for them and it ain't gonna happen..NEVER..
Pat Mulroy is a witch and boy if she doesn't get her way..Look out.. she has "friends" who will "fix" thing her way..!!!! Get rid of her ASAP!!!
It would be worthwhile to check out how Phoenix remedied their water problem with a 20% reduction in mandatory cuts. They even have a 100 year plan to supply water which is updated every five years.
Las Vegas needs a 50 year plan at the very minimum.
I'm pretty sure the fight is 20 years old as the claims were made in fall of 1989, but I write mainly because my impression of the event was rather different.
This very capable telling does not include what seemed to be to be decision by the SNWA board not to be forced into a High Noon situation. In the lead up to this vote, Mrs. Mulroy challenged her board to give her an up or down vote. In the meeting itself, all they did was give her permission to do what she was doing the day before, the year before and for two decades, while taking pains to repeatedly point out that this was not a vote on the pipeline.
So instead of walking away with a ringing endorsement, what Mrs. Mulroy accomplished by calling the showdown was the handing of the microphone for three hours to a group largely comprised of her critics. These critics were by and large calm, eloquent and compelling.
So what emerged was less an endorsement for Mrs. Mulroy than a talk-it-out moment. And what was notable about the talk wasn't anger but the politeness, for which many board members thanked the speakers. (These manners are a Nevada quality, I've come to believe, born from poker tables and cattle auctions, where one never gets mad publicly - and wins.) Amidst all this pregnant civility, what was striking were the lengths the board went to distance themselves from the much hyped show down aspect advertised by Mrs. Mulroy.
Mrs. Mulroy does a tough job. If anyone deserves a meltdown, she does. But in staging a public one, she opened the door in a powerful way to the arguments of her critics.
-Emily Green
I was saying STOP THE GROWTH in 1980 when our wells were dropping from too much development. Where have we gone from 1980? Idiots should have thought of WATER when they could. Before Lake Mead was drained and way too many people in the LV Valley. Greedy idiots.
I have admired Pat Mulroy for many years but I'm beginning to lose patience with her. She's more arrogant, angry and defensive than ever; she acts as if she and the pipeline were one in the same. Pat: Beware the Greek admonition, "Whom the Gods would strike down they first make proud."
At this point the pipeline network will happen and needs too. This is not Pat Mulroy's doing it is part of her solution to two greater problems.
Pat Mulroy job is to do all she can do to support the larger political will of Nevada.... That political will is for Las Vegas to grow and become a major American city... Growth is not her goal it is a problem and she has to deal with it... If the political will was for Southern Nevada and Las Vegas not to grow she would create policies to support that end.
Second if anyone really thinks we have an impact on the Lake Level in Lake Mead they need to do a little research..... We only have 2% of the rivers allotment of 15 million acre ft. We return a majority of the water we use to river system. The major users Phoenix and Southern California have 48% of the allotment and return no water to the river system... The total allotment assume 16 million acre ft of flow... Current projects are along the lines 14 million acres ft. That means that Nevada's meager 2% is less than the 6%+ that the river is over allotted... This is a problem with or without Las Vegas continuing to grow...
Pat is doing a good job and deserves are support. Remember her job is to support the greater political will of the state not to change it. If you want to change the political will of the state from growth to no growth you have a chance to run for office and/or vote for "Change"...
Bobsmith;
If Pat Mulroy is only doing the "political will" why does her public entity own some of the most expensive office space in the valley? Why does SNWA have Tahoe Hybrids? Why are there 50+ 4WD diesel pickups parked downtown when the real estate somewhere else could be much cheaper? How about the Springs Preserve and all of the wasted building vacant building space on Valley View vacated for greener pastures?
You suggest it is political will, I suggest it is Pat's will with grandiose plans and no checks or balances on the plans or the spending. SNWA is the only government entity in Nevada that can buy and sell real estate without an appraisal, no check or balance in millions of dollars of ranch and land purchases for this pipe dream. It's Mulroy crazy.
Nobody who spends $60,000 on a Hybrid full size SUV with public funds gets my support and that doesn't qualify as a good job in my opinion.
another government agency running amok; instead of WMD, this time its all about the water. if you would begin rationing NOW patsy, their would be no need for a billion dollar pipeline and consequently, no need for your job.
Do you really believe that this pipeline will ever be built? Several years ago the cost estimate was $2B to $3.5B. It will be at least double that!! Las Vegas has one big problem. It relies on people's "disposable income". The way the economy and the Federal Government are going, when taxes get to where they will need to be, no one will have any disposable income to spend in Las Vegas (or anywhere else). Ms Mulroy must understand this and is just "milking" the taxpayers while she can!!
Clearly the person who wrote 'Las Vegas relies on people's DISPOSABLE INCOME', stands out as VERY VERY KEY in this scenario.
Also, the fact that Phoenix and Southern California do NOT RETURN WATER - ponder that point for a moment.
When man tries to 'defy nature' by building a metropolis in the desert, one can expect these threats and challenges.
However, when the state of Nevada allows ONE CITY to grow OUT OF PROPORTION, and RELY UPON THAT CITY'S REVENUE THAT COMES FROM TOURISTS; PEOPLE WITH 'DISPOSABLE INCOME', and have FAILED TO BUILD A DIVERSE BASE, so that Las Vegas isn't so dependent upon 'gambling; nigh-life, entertainment, restaurant-hopping', then they shouldn't be swiping water FOR GROWTH PURPOSES.
Let them ALL CUT BACK 20 TO 30%. Let them empty the SWIMMING POOLS. Let them put out desert landscaping. Let them learn REALITY, and get the 'mob mentality' out of their system; get the 'pie in the sky, but no water to wash it down with here on earth', out of their thought-process.
Have Las Vegas do a real STUDY OF OTHER SUCCESSFUL AMERICAN CITIES, and see what it is that make those citizes flourish.
Phoenix has attracted light industry; electronic-board manufacturing - high tech' growth companies, as has Southern, California.
The same square footage allocated to a business where professional people are engaged in a PRODUCTIVE EFFORT AND PRODUCING A VIABLE PRODUCT, are NOT taking up space that is devoted to piling lobster on a fat rich person's plate; not letting them sit idly poking a slot machine, or slapping down huge $$$ at the poker table.
It's called Sin City for a reason; now let them PAY FOR THEIR SINS!