Water pipeline construction will create how many jobs?

By Cy Ryan

Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2011 | 1:36 p.m.

Building a giant pipeline from rural Nevada to pump water to Las Vegas could, at its peak, employ more than 900 construction workers but put a strain on local governments.

More than 12,000 acres would be cleared over an 11-year period during construction, which could lead to the risk of wildfires, potential spills or leaks of hazardous materials and a short-term interference to hunting areas.

These findings are included in the Bureau of Land Management’s 130-page draft environmental impact statement on the proposal by the Southern Nevada Water Authority to pump water from four valleys in Lincoln and White Pine counties.

A hearing today in Pioche is the first of nine meetings on the report. In Clark County, the meeting will be at 4 p.m. Aug. 15 at the Henderson Convention Center.

The BLM has also granted a request by the Great Basin Water Network to extend the deadline for comments from Sept. 9 to Oct. 11.

The network, which includes ranchers, Indian tribes, conservationists and local government officials, opposes the project.

Construction of the pipeline, according to the BLM document, would begin in 2012 and take 11 years. By 2015, 900 would be employed building it and that number would drop off after that. Construction would start in Clark County and then move north.

“Short-term demands on local law enforcement and emergency services may strain capacity in rural communities,” the report said. The demand for short-term housing may exceed resources, particularly in Lincoln County, the report said.

But the project would generate substantial sales and use taxes, some of which would be retained at the local level. The water authority and White Pine County agreed on payments in lieu of taxes would cover decreased tax revenue when the authority buys private ranches. The authority would be exempt from local property tax.

The pipeline would extend as many as 306 miles, depending on the route. It would cost an estimated $3.5 billion and is aimed at pumping 125,976 acre-feet of water a year to meet Southern Nevada’s water needs.

The state engineer will hold hearings beginning Sept. 26 on whether to grant the withdrawal of water from the valleys of Delamar, Spring, Cave and Dry Lake.

Before the BLM will approve use of federal lands, the water authority is required to submit a detailed plan for protection of the environment and report adverse affects of taking water.

Clearing for construction would affect grazing and recreation use on more than 12,300 acres, 97 percent of which is managed by the BLM. More than 11,300 acres would be reclaimed.

Affected in the short term would be the big-game range, including antelope, elk, mule deer and desert bighorn sheep. “There may be temporary water quality effects on two perennial streams containing game fish species crossed by the power lines,” the draft statement said.

The project would include as many as 306 miles of buried water pipelines, 323 miles of electrical wiring, five pumping stations, a 40-million-gallon-per-day buried storage reservoir and a 165-million-gallon-per-day water treatment plant.

After the hearings, the BLM will decide whether to grant access to the water authority on the federal land, the pipeline’s route and the steps that would cause the least damage to the environment.